Royalty is a Drag
by Klimmatt
Summary: When Rudolph West gets a new job offer, Kid Flash officially goes international. Unfortunately for Wally, that means starting over at a brand new high school.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Okay, so, I'll admit it. This is one of those really odd story ideas that sometimes gets away from you.

* * *

The Flash is the hero of Central City. This is a simple fact. Though he is known to appear all across the globe when his presence is needed, and it is generally agreed that his usual sphere of influence extends to at least the Missouri state lines before it begins to cross into Superman's territory in Kansas, Central City is where the Flash makes his home.

It is here where the original Scarlet Speedster first appeared in the 1940's. It is here where his successor made his initial debut and is most often sighted. It is here where his Rogue's Gallery will most often strike and it is here where, though very few have ever been able to confirm it, the Flash lives in his civilian life.

As such, one might expect that the Flash's protégé, the fastest teen alive, would also reside in Central City. After all, Kid Flash makes his appearances most often alongside the elder speedster. It would certainly make the most sense.

But, then again, few people can truly conceive of exactly how little distance means for a being who can circle the globe in less than an hour. A commute from even the far side of the world means almost nothing.

Despite this, many of those 'in the know' are absolutely shocked to learn that Kid Flash's origins lie in Central City's neighboring town of Keystone, just on the far side of the Missouri border. Superman in particular had been mildly miffed to learn that a junior superhero had been born in his native state of Kansas and had never once come to him for guidance (he had super speed too, after all).

And the clueless masses would be even more shocked to learn that Kid Flash's civilian identity had recently made the move to Japan.

Wally certainly had been.

* * *

Rudolph West was a tired man sitting in an office.

It was a nice office, all things considered. A little larger than most in the building, it boasted hardwood floors and a rug that held a fairly distinct oriental origin. For the most part it was plainly decorated, aside from a few generic portraits hanging from the walls, though Rudolph had already begun adding his own personal touches. A small backboard and net hung just above the small trash bin on the far side of the room and a family photo hung proudly to the left of his desk.

It had been Rudolph's office for barely two weeks now, and Rudolph was proud of it. He had earned it after receiving a recent job offer to act as the head office's official liaison with a branch located not far outside of Tokyo, Japan.

The pay wasn't much of an improvement over his old salary, but the company had helped him out a bit with the move and his wife, Mary, had always wanted to spend time living amongst another culture.

All things considered, things were pretty good. Here at the local branch of Primadon, a company dedicated to the manufacturing and distribution of various school supplies, he was so far respected by his subordinates, and he had found that he was getting along well enough with his bosses too.

His wife was ecstatic to be living in Japan. She had already enrolled herself for lessons in Japanese and had conscripted both her husband and her son to help her gain some proficiency in the language.

Really, the only fly in the ointment was Wally. Granted, for the most part, Wally was amiable enough to the move. He had both super speed and access to the Justice League's global array of Zeta-Beam technology. If he so chose, he could meet up with his friends every day and never have to worry about it.

But, that wasn't the problem. No, the problem lay in the specifics of Wally's schooling.

Japanese public schools, it seems, were a touch stricter than American ones when it came to the subject of unexplained absences. And Wally, thanks in no small part to his exploits as Kid Flash, had accrued quite a few more than what was considered to be acceptable.

Rudolph sighed. In all honesty, that was sort of his fault. But there were only so many times he and Mary could write out medical excuses or claim familial tragedies. Social services had already conducted two separate investigations into their family since Wally's abilities had manifested, after all. It may have been something of a black mark on his record, but allowing some people to believe that Wally was merely an eccentric kid who grew bored with regular school hours was just easier to explain.

And, though his previous school in Keystone City had been willing to put up with such things given the very good relationships he maintained with his teachers, as well as the fact that Wally otherwise stayed out of trouble and brought the school quite a good deal of positive attention in the form of outstanding academic scores, the local educators in Japan were not so forgiving.

That left him with the private schools, who tended to be a touch more lenient in regards to their students eccentricities so long as their grades were adequate and their tuition was paid.

Which left them with another problem. Payment. Rudolph's new job paid better than his old one, it was true, but not enough to extend to covering two or three years of private education.

Not unless he and his wife were willing to live very Spartan lifestyles at least. And even that would be stretching it.

There were times, such as these, when Rudolph almost wished that his son wasn't a superhero. After all, a supervillain, or even a simple gifted civilian (assuming there even was such a thing) would have no qualms with using his or her superhuman abilities to their own advantage, perhaps putting on an incredible display on the sporting fields in order to get schools clamoring around him, desperate to put him on a full scholarship if only he would come and play for them. Come to think of it, a supervillain would have no qualms with just dropping out of school altogether.

But, he was a superhero (which probably wasn't such a bad thing now that he thought about it). And superheroes didn't do that.

He couldn't even apply for an academic scholarship either. Even though, as a child at least, Wally's prodigal intelligence would surely qualified him as a genius in just a few short years... once he had mimicked the accident which had gifted his uncle with his speed, things had changed.

Wally's mind still possessed a fierce intellect, Rudolph was reminded of this regularly. Despite his son's eccentricities and relatively limited attention span, the boy had been correcting him for years. In fact, now it could well be said that Wally better classified as a literal super-genius, right up there in the ranks with Lex Luthor, Ray Palmer and T.O. Morrow. But this genius was not the result of natural development that Rudy was proud to claim he had donated to but rather, as was the case with Barry Allen, the speed at which his mind was able to process, catalogue and recall information.

Rudolph could never quite grasp what it was when Jay, Barry and Wally had tried to describe it to him. The best he could understand was that their speed allowed their minds to work faster, more efficiently. He remembered that Wally would sometimes get frustrated trying to relay the sensory input he received that very few could truly grasp, before sighing and reluctantly simplifying it by saying that, where others had only an hour to complete an in-class test, Wally could, if he so chose, have two, or three, or four... a full day. Maybe more if he were to speed himself up enough.

The thought of that actually made Rudolph quite uncomfortable. He'd had nightmares before where he himself had possessed Wally's abilities, slowing the passage of time around him only to find that he could not undo it, forcing him to live in a world that played out constantly in slow motion.

Other nightmares, ones he knew that his wife occasionally shared with him, involved Wally taking his place.

Rudolph shook his head clear of the dark thoughts that were threatening to plague him. If he didn't think about it, perhaps he might still manage a good night's sleep. Instead, he turned back to his musings.

The fact was that his son's academic abilities, along with his physical abilities, were not something that he could make use of in this situation. It would be unfair to anyone else, not to mention downright unethical.

'Using superhuman abilities for personal gain, at the cost of benefit or harm to others'. It was practically the definition of supervillainy.

So, scholarships were out. Which meant that private schools were out. Which meant that Wally had no school at which he could attend.

Things were officially getting bad. To the point where a few suggestions that had been previously dismissed were being revisited, only to be dismissed once more.

Wally could just stay with his aunt and uncle and still go to Keystone High? Dismissed. Rudy knew very well that his sister would be happy to take him. But it wasn't quite as simple as that. Though Iris and Barry were always willing to have their favorite nephew over for a visit, both worked full time jobs (with a second full time job on top of that for Barry). They just didn't have to time to look after a fifteen year old, no matter how much Wally insisted that he didn't _need_ looking after.

Jay and Joan Garrick were dismissed as well for similar reasons. Though both were retired, the fact was that they were both in their nineties. Rudy wasn't about to force them to deal with a fifteen year old speedster (regardless of the fact that one of said 90 year olds was a speedster himself).

After hearing of the dilemma from the Flash, Batman had even made a surprising offer of his own. With considerable influence that the Flash had assured them Batman possessed, they could guarantee Wally a place at the esteemed Gotham Academy with a full scholarship.

Here, Rudolph would reluctantly admit, the West Family Pride may have gotten in the way. They simply could not accept the other man's generosity. No matter how he may phrase it as 'an investment', or even as repayment for his deeds as Kid Flash (not least of which included saving Robin's life on at least one occasion that Batman knew of). It just sounded too much like charity to him.

Sometimes, Rudolph thought, the West Family Pride might be a bit too troublesome to keep. If things got bad enough, he might just have to rethink it.

Though he wasn't quite ready to admit it, sometimes Rudolph wondered if he and Mary were deliberately keeping their son from pursuing an education outside of Japan. Regardless of the fact that he'd be able to visit them just about daily no matter where they were in the world, they were not gifted with their son's abilities. No matter how often Wally might visit them, they would never be able to return the favor. Though Wally might be perfectly fine with that, Rudy was certain that it would drive him mad, to say nothing of his wife.

There was a knock on the door. Rudy called out a quick phrase in Japanese to grant entry.

The man who stepped into the office was completely unassuming. Of average height, with short black hair and no distinguishing features that Rudolph had yet been able to identify, his dark blue suit, which looked neither overly expensive nor particularly cheap, was neatly pressed and fit him well. Rudolph sincerely doubted that he would ever be able to pick him out of a crowd.

"Hey, Rudy," he greeted cheerfully as he closed the door behind him, his English suffering from only a minor accent due to many years of painstaking effort to master the language.

Itou Takumi, technically speaking, had little to do with Rudolph West. He worked in sales, where they had only met briefly when Rudolph had begun compiling his first report for the home office, sharing little more than a quick exchange of pleasantries and the pleasant discovery that Itou was quite fluent in Rudolph's native language.

Since then, however, Itou had found that he and Rudolph caught the same train on their way to the office in the morning and, upon this discovery, had reintroduced himself aboard the locomotive (Rudolph was embarrassed to admit that, had Itou not begun speaking in English, he would not have recognized the other man) and, over the next few days, the pair had formed a fast friendship.

"Takumi," Rudolph returned the greeting tiredly, using the man's personal name upon his own insistence, scrunching up one of the brochures and tossing it into the trash can, where it sailed through the net unobstructed.

"Same old same old?" Itou noted, seeing that the pile of potential schools was again smaller than it had been the day before. "No luck?"

"Not a bit," Rudy replied with a heavy sigh. "I'm really starting to think we'll have to send him back to the U.S.. I don't think Wally's actually met my wife's parents, and they aren't exactly young anymore, but... I don't know."

"Hmm," Takumi offered unhelpfully, his gaze turning to the family photo that hung on the wall. Rudy had talked of little else these past few days but his increasingly desperate attempts to get his son into a school, _any_ school, but finding only rejection or tuition that was _far_ above his pay grade. "You know, my offer still stands..."

"Thank you," Rudolph told him honestly, "But I'm sorry, we simply _can't_ take your charity."

"And I keep telling you," Takumi laughed. "It's _not_ charity. I have an old friend who works on the board of Fujimori Academy. He owes me a favor and I've only daughters, so it's not like I need him to pull strings for _me_."

"But a private school... and a boarding one at that," Rudolph shook his head in exasperation. "I can't afford that. Not after the move and settling everything back home."

"And we can change all that," Takumi assured him. "Fujimori's not so far that he won't be able to visit on the weekends. And the school has a special program for certain students. Financial aid can be extended, so long as they take on some extracurricular duties."

"Rudy," Takumi said promisingly. "If your son meets the standards they're looking for, they can take care of more than half your son's tuition. Not to mention his boarding fees."

Rudolph grimaced uncomfortably. "I appreciate the thought, but I... I don't think Wally would be cut out for something like that."

"I promise you," Takumi swore. "The duties are simple enough, if a little time consuming. Most of the boys who do it absolutely love it. In fact, my friend did it himself. He always said that it was a great experience."

Rudolph's grimaced didn't didn't fade, but it did loosen. A few extracurricular duties? A few odd jobs? Wally would probably hate it, especially if it involved any cleaning whatsoever, but... but Wally would be able to handle it. This, Rudolph was certain.

"Are you sure that Wally would qualify?" Rudolph asked, almost pleading.

Takumi glanced again at the family photo, his gaze quickly passing over his friend and his red haired wife to settle on the teenage boy that stood between them.

Bright green eyes looked out under a fringe that was the same vibrant red as his mother's. Youthful freckles dotted prominent cheekbones. A tight shirt revealed slender shoulders for a boy his age and a trim waist, whilst cargo shorts that barely fell past his knees exposed his legs.

"Absolutely," Takumi nodded confidently. The boy might need a little more work than the usual Princesses of Fujimori Academy, but Takumi was certain that his exotic looks would let him fit right in. "He'd be a perfect addition to the school."

Rudolph sighed heavily, "Get me a brochure and call your friend."


	2. Chapter 2

Some days, Wally loved his life. Days like March 31st, the day in which Kid Flash was first granted official access to the Hall of Justice, right alongside his fellow League protégés, Speedy, Robin and Aqualad.

It was a day that he'd been looking forward to _forever_. And it was made all the sweeter by the fact that the League had decided to bring the date forward by a few months when his family's move to Japan was made, and the knowledge that he was now officially operating on a completely different timezone, combined with a distinct school schedule that was starting _tomorrow_, made the League concerned that it could very well be impossible to get all four of the protégés together at any other time.

Granted, the day had taken on a bit of a sour note when Speedy had lost it when it turned out that the promised tour of the League facilities did not include any mention of the secret space station that they had totally been keeping from them!

The shock that their mentors didn't trust them anywhere near as much as they thought had stung, but it had meant enough to Speedy that he had officially resigned from his position (well, okay, so maybe it wasn't all that _official_, but, come on, he threw the hat on the floor! You don't get much clearer than that!).

Aqualad and Robin had been a touch more hesitant, as had Kid Flash. The three of them had been willing to at least hear an explanation... which they'd never actually gotten, now that Wally thought about it. But the League had been called away by an unexpected emergency (which, for some reason, _always_ seemed to pop up when superhumans gathered).

Still, left alone in the Hall of Justice, the three remaining protégés did what teens did best when left to their own devices. They snooped around in places that they almost certainly did not belong.

There was an alert about a fire at local lab. With the League otherwise preoccupied, Robin and Kid Flash had elected to do as _heroes_ did and went off to help, Aqualad reluctantly following his younger compatriots.

Oddly enough, that was when things started getting _weird_. Wally had absolutely no clue what Cadmus Labs had been thinking, but fighting through 50-odd levels of G-nome bio-weapons and rescuing a brainwashed clone of Superman was quite possibly his favorite memory of the past month (which was saying something considering that going away dinner his Aunt Iris and Grandma Joan had made for him. Holy gumballs, just thinking about it was enough to make his mouth water...).

And the League had offered up _respect_ because of it. They had admitted that they'd done a _good job_. And now Superboy was staying with Aqualad at the Atlantean Embassy until something could be sorted, which reminded him. Wally _so_ needed to find some free time so he could crash in on those two and force them to interact with the real world. He didn't need Kaldur corrupting Supey with his proper Atlantean manners when there was a whole wide America out there just waiting to teach him some disrespect!

Anyway, his point... he'd had a point, right?

Oh, right! Some days, like _that_ one, were just plain awesome sauce on a seriously sweet bun.

Others, like the one that came after... weren't.

The 1st of April. Usually a day where Wally would make an absolute nuisance of himself on a national scale (generally with some minor assistance from a certain Boy Wonder). Instead, it was his first day of school at Fujimori Academy.

Now, first day at any new school... sucks. Granted, his entire year was in a pretty similar boat given that this was their first year at the elite boys institution (which was totally going to _suck_... no girls, like, at all!). _Unlike_ them, however, they didn't have to start over in a whole new country.

Now, Wally knew all about how much trouble it'd been to get him enrolled _anywhere_, and he'd already sworn that he'd be keeping the 'Kid Flash' thing as quiet as he could for a while. Being so far away from his uncle meant that he was _already_ pretty much on the bench outside of regular patrols anyway, and even _those_ had to be so very carefully scheduled so that they wouldn't conflict with his studies or be too much of a strain with the time difference. And, of course, End of the World type scenarios. But _everyone_ was on call for those.

Still, starting school in a whole new country? Something he felt completely justified in wingeing about (no matter what Robin may have said otherwise).

At the very least, his Japanese was decent. He wasn't quite yet fluent, and his ability to read kanji wasn't down to an exact science, but he was okay. He'd read a Japanese/English dictionary.

Actually, he'd read several English/Anything dictionaries in his time. With powers like his combined with a speedster's metabolism, it was quite often that he and Barry's 'training sessions' ended up with them in some exotic locale that just so happened to boast some truly exquisite cuisine. And, of course, when you want to try out the local food, you want the stuff to be _authentic_. Which, of course, meant really getting into the culture and using the language of the region.

Thanks to a love of foreign foods, Wally had become quite the little polyglot over the past few years. And Barry even more so (Wally was pretty sure that his mentor had actually made the effort to learn _every_ language in common usage on the face of the earth).

But, anyway, his spoken Japanese was good enough to qualify him for regular classes, even if he was going to have to get help with reading his homework assignments. That was okay though, Wally already had plans to study up on proper kanji over the next few weeks so he figure'd he'd be damn near fluent by the end of the months. It'd probably take him speed reading a few books on the subject, which would be as tedious and boring as you can get, but it'd be well worth it.

Being a genius was pretty awesome, but combining that with a speedster's thought processes went a little beyond that.

But, back to school. Fujimori Academy, a private all-boys boarding academy.

He was going to miss the sight of lovely ladies, but he supposed he could get his fill of that over the weekends, and he most definitely was _not_ looking forward to having a roommate.

Hopefully the guy would be a heavy sleeper. And not a snorer.

* * *

Wally entered the halls of Fujimori Academy on April 1st at 7:55am, walking hesitantly towards the area where he was pretty sure his classroom would be and wishing that he hadn't been so tired after all the hullabaloo yesterday that he'd actually managed to make it to pre-term orientation.

Instead, he moved quickly and determinedly, despite not being entirely certain if he was moving in the right direction.

As he made his way, he noticed that more than a few of the guys around him were casting odd glances in his direction. For the most part, he brushed these aside. He'd been getting looks like that since arriving in Japan, and passed it off as the simple fact that, well, he kind of stood out.

For some reason though, some of these looks just felt different. Wally tugged at the collar of his uniform uncomfortably, but banished the thoughts from his mind when he finally found his classroom, quickly finding a seat somewhere in the middle of the class and pulling a notebook and pencil from his book bag.

He'd yet to purchase the majority of his textbooks, having been assured over and over by his father and his father's friend Itou that someone would contact him after the first day or two of class to induct him into whatever duties it was that he was supposed to be taking on, after which he'd be able to go to the school store with a considerable discount.

Just thinking of those duties almost made him slump in his seat. He didn't know yet exactly what they entailed. His father wasn't entirely sure himself and whenever they'd asked Itou, the man had only talked in generalities about 'helping the school'. What Wally was certain of, however, was that, for the financial aid they were offering, they were sure to be time consuming. That thought alone was enough to bring Wally close to openly weeping.

Soon, however, Wally was distracted from his thoughts when a man who he assumed was the teacher entered the class and began to introduce himself. At that point, Wally's thoughts faded entirely as he concentrated to keep up with the rapid fire Japanese coming his way.

* * *

Over the course of the day, Wally struggled more than he'd admit in keeping up with his teachers' discussions, which in themselves largely consisted of basic introductions and an explanation of all the material expected to be covered over the course of the year in the various classes Wally was taking.

Still, he managed well enough, only having to ask for clarification on the meanings of a few unfamiliar words here and there. Most of the teachers offered to open their doors for help on any further problems Wally had with the language, one of them even offering to go over the key points of his introduction in English after class.

Wally was grateful for the help the teachers offered, but did not find himself getting on so easily with his classmates.

Not that they were rude to him. Nor were they impolite. Or confrontational. They didn't seem to even particularly dislike him. So far, everyone had been willing to help him find his classes and, when he'd needed to borrow an eraser, he'd found three different guys willing to share before he'd even finished the question.

No, it was just that... they were _looking_ at him weird. Not in that general surprise people sometimes had to see a foreigner walking around their home. And always looking away in a hurry whenever he caught them at it.

It was around lunch that he thought he finally figured it out. Eating a small lunch by normal standards even and promising himself that he'd make up for it after class, Wally's eyes had caught a flash of yellow, drawing his gaze to a boy with long blonde hair as he walked past. Watching him momentarily, only for his gaze to then flicker around the cafeteria, he found that the blonde boy was being observed in much the same way that he himself was.

And then, during his history class, Wally had found more attention being sent his way than before, which he soon attributed to the boy sitting just to his left with the short strawberry blonde hair that was so light it was almost pink. And that's when he almost thought he figured it out.

Red hair wasn't even all that common in caucasian populations, but to the Japanese surrounding him? And here were two other guys in his year, both with unusual hair that suggested some degree of caucasian ancestry.

He figured that had to make them stand out all the more. But it didn't _feel _like that was why they were looking... He did his best to shrug it off. Hopefully their fellow students would get used to it.

With that thought in mind, though still mildly disconcerting, Wally was at least able to shove it away from the forefront of his mind and concentrate more on what the teacher was saying.

He spared a glance towards the clock when the teacher paused for a breath. Only 28 minutes to go.

* * *

Once the final bell rang at 3:30pm, Wally made a mad dash out of the school, speeding down highways and then through a few narrower streets and winding ways to get himself his parents' new home.

An apartment in what he'd been told was a very reasonable neighborhood, Wally hated to admit it but he was almost glad that he'd only ever be spending weekends and holidays there.

He'd grown up in the suburbs in Kansas, where everything was so open and spread out... and here he was in an apartment on an island nation where space was at an absolute premium. More than that, he was a speedster. Claustrophobia kind of came with the gig. Without wide open spaces to run, Wally's emotional state tended to suffer.

Here, in an apartment that was considerably smaller than their suburban home, he doubted that he could ever be truly comfortable.

Throwing off that notion with a shrug and loosening his collar as he went, Wally made his way for the fridge, noting that his mother wasn't home as he quickly worked to prepare a feast fit for his appetite. He had about half an hour before someone was meant to show him to his dorms (due to him having missed orientation the previous day), so he'd better make this quick.

He dug into an assortment of his parent's leftovers (he himself never left any), feeding the furnace that was his metabolism to compensate for his earlier, woefully inadequate, lunch.

* * *

Wally strolled into the Fujimori dormitories at exactly 4:01 in the afternoon, precisely one minute later than he was meant to be.

He promptly came face to face with the boy with the long blonde hair that he'd seen at lunch, who, it seemed, had been waiting impassively just inside the door.

"West-kun?" He asked, his eyes glancing up to Wally's distinctive red hair. Wally was very nearly forced to do a double take. In fact, he would have had it not been for some desensitization to meeting individuals with unusual appearances (most notably, the Martian Manhunter, the Hawks and Aqualad).

"Uh, yeah," Wally replied, trying hard not to stare. "Uh, I'm sorry, I don't think I know your name..."

The blonde boy gave a small smile, before offering lightly, "I am Shihoudani Yuujirou. I'm your roommate here at the dormitories."

Wally blinked, mentally trying to remind himself of a few things about the school, chief amongst them... this was a _boys_ school, right? Because, well, Shihoudani Yuujirou had a _very_ pretty face.

"Oh, that's cool," Wally told him, trying to think of something to say other than 'wow, you look like a girl!', which he somehow doubted would go over all that well.

Actually, if he were entirely honest, it would probably provoke retaliation. Though he didn't like admitting it, his first outing as 'Kid Flash' had required clarification that the Flash's protégé was, in fact, _male_ (it had actually taken two years before reporters stopped toying with the idea that Kid Flash was, in actuality, a young girl who was posing as a boy in an attempt to ward of sexual predators that her dangerous line of work might expose her to [actually, that was an idea that _still_ popped up every now and again]). Not to mention, he had more than one elderly relative who insisted that he got prettier each time he saw them. And _then_ there was that time he'd tried growing his hair out and had actually needed to put it in a ponytail whenever he'd had to run... in retrospect, that one had been a bit of a mistake.

It wasn't his fault, though! 'Delicate features', as some may put it, were more aerodynamically efficient and speedster's naturally developed that kind of body and facial structures. It was a process which, unfortunately, was enhanced with Wally due to the fact that his abilities had manifested just before he had really begun puberty.

"I'm Wally," he tried, in lieu of anything else. Holding out his hand politely. "Uh, I'm still not too sure on the customs here... still kind of new to the area. Am I supposed to call you 'Shihoudani-kun' or 'Shihoudani-san'?"

Shihoudani paused for a moment, as though considering the question, a bemused smile on his lips, before he grasped Wally's proffered hand, apparently having decided. "If you don't mind me calling you 'Wally', then you may address me as 'Yuujirou'."

"Oh, really?" Wally blinked, surprised. "I mean, I get that that's a little personal and stuff and I don't want to make you uncomfortable..."

"It's fine," Yuujirou assured him with a chuckle, releasing his hand and laying it on Wally's shoulder. "We are roommates after all, so we might as well be friends."

And with that, Yuujirou began to steer Wally towards the hall.

"Come on," he told him. "I'll show you to our room."

"Okay... thanks," Wally replied hesitantly, allowing Yuujirou to lead the way. "Hey, wasn't I mean to meet the dorm advisor or something?"

The blonde nodded as he answered, "He's in a meeting with the Student Council from what I hear. I'll introduce you at dinner."

Yuujirou lead Wally around a quick corner to a room at the end of the hall on the first floor of the eastern side of the dormitories.

"This is where we'll be staying," Yuujirou told him, before his eyes darted upwards with a grimace.

Wally followed his gaze, finding a few characters of kanji written above the doorframe. An idle glance around the hallway revealing an identical set of characters above the door opposite them, but no other such labels being present.

"What does it mean?" Wally asked, his eyes settling curiously above the door.

Yuujirou looked at him oddly for a brief moment, before remembering that his roommate was not a native speaker of Japanese. "Do you have trouble with kanji?"

"I'm working on it," Wally replied wryly, before peering at the characters in the search of something he recognize. "That one means 'room', right?"

Yuujirou hesitated for a few seconds, debating whether or not to tell Wally the truth, before sighing. "It says 'Princess Room'. I think someone put it up as a joke."

"'Princess Room'?" Wally repeated incredulously. "Why would anyone..."

Wally trailed off when he noticed that Yuujirou was looking away uncomfortably.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"I'm sorry," Yuujirou apologized honestly. "After I saw you earlier today, I wanted to get the sign down before you would see it, but the supervisor is still in the Student Council meeting so I couldn't get a ladder. I hope it doesn't offend you."

Wally blinked, before frowning in confusion. "Wait, why would...? You think this was meant for me?!"

"Well," Yuujirou looked away uncomfortably. "I didn't want to say anything, but, well... you _are_ prettier than the average student."

Wally's hand darted to his hair self-consciously, reminding himself that it was closely cropped to his skull and not in any way similar to his disastrous attempts at emulating Rock'n'Roll. Short hair meant no ponytail and without the ponytail, he assured himself, people confusing him for a girl was a _very_ rare occurrence, 'delicate features' or not.

Self-consciousness quickly turned to irritation, however, when the boy before him was clearly _far_ prettier than he'd _ever_ be.

"And what about you?" He replied heatedly.

"What about me?" Yuujirou raised an eyebrow, as though genuinely curious as to what sort of defense Wally could muster.

"Dude, with that hair, you look a _lot _more like a Princess than I do," Wally told him.

Yuujirou frowned in confusion, bringing a hand up to the back of his neck where he curiously patted down the hair which fell down to his shoulders.

"Huh," he offered genuinely. "I never thought of that."

Wally's own eyebrow raised skeptically, "No one ever told you that you kind of look like a girl before?"

"No," Yuujirou told him blandly, before his face turned thoughtful. "Although, now that you mention it, it _would_ explain a few things."

Wally found himself too curious not to ask. "What things?"

"I always thought it was odd how I seemed to run into so many homosexual boys," he replied, tapping his chin idly before frowning.

"...right," Wally found himself muttering, genuinely unsure as to whether or not he was being messed with, or if Yuujirou was truly that oblivious concerning his appearance.

"Anyway," he found himself drawling, somewhat desperate to turn the conversation in just about any other direction. "The sign can wait. Let's check out our room."

"Huh? Oh, sure," Yuujirou was snapped from his musings. Grasping the doorknob and twisting, he pushed on the door to allow himself entry, Wally following a brief moment behind. "I hope you don't mind, but I've already claimed the top bunk."

"That's fine," Wally nodded, noting that someone had already brought his luggage in. His bag was lying untouched next to the bunk bed. "First come, first serve and all that."

"Uh huh," Yuujirou agreed, before he began pointing out the various aspects of the room. "The dressers are over there, I've already put my stuff into the right side, so you can take the left. I haven't yet picked which of the desks I want, though, so you feel free to choose whichever one you want."

"Thanks," Wally grinned, already pushing their earlier conversation/argument/accusations towards the back of his mind (denial really was something he was rather good at).

"Nice room," he decided, glancing around idly. He was a little put out by the lack of a T.V., but he had a laptop that should make up for that and the room was otherwise quite well furnished. High quality bedding had already been laid out, the desk chairs were comfortable, and the dressers were almost extravagant in their detailing.

Yuujirou nodded, sitting at the nearest desk while Wally got to work unpacking. Making quick work of it all, he shifted his clothes from his suitcase to the left half of the dresser, taking great care not to lift the false bottom of his baggage, beneath which lay his Kid Flash uniform and accessories should an emergency take place that Wally was forced to answer immediately.

"So..." Wally asked awkwardly, once his task was complete without another word having been exchanged between the two of them. "Now what?"

Yuujirou shrugged briefly, before furrowing his brows. "You missed orientation, right?"

"Yeah," Wally admitted awkwardly. "Minor family emergency. By the time it was sorted, I figured it'd be too late to show up."

Nodding, Yuujirou calmly stood, offering, "Do you want me to show you around the school?"

"Uh, sure," Wally agreed, though he was mostly certain that he already had a pretty good idea of the school's layout.

"Let's go then."

With that, Yuujirou calmly led them out the door and back towards the school to give Wally the tour he'd missed out on the day before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Okay guys, here's chapter three, but before you go ahead and read I just want to say that I realise that this fic doesn't exactly have a huge audience. It's a crossover between a cartoon and a relatively obscure anime. But still, I know that _some_ people have to be reading it. I can see that for myself. But almost nobody is taking the time to review.

Now, I'm not going to be one of those idiots who holds the story hostage. I'll keep putting up chapters however I see fit regardless of whether or not anyone's even reading this because I find it entertaining. But I'm also doing it to get some feedback on my writing and, aside from that, reviews in general just make the whole process so much more enjoyable anyway. So just... let me know what you think. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Did anything in particular stand out to you as uncharacteristic or out of place?

Come on, it'll take you half a minute and it really does mean a lot to me.

* * *

Yuujirou guided Wally throughout the school for the next hour or so, the pair of them making awkward chitchat for a while, trying to keep the topic of the 'Princess Room' thing well out of their minds. Eventually though, they stumbled onto a true conversation after a few curious questions concerning Wally's origins.

That had led Wally to explain that he was originally from Kansas, USA, and sparked a few questions in return. Yuujirou seemed curious about life in America and Wally returned that interest with his own questions on Japan.

Once the tour was finished and they headed back to the dormitories for dinner, the discussion turned to the differences in cuisine, with Wally being curious and enthusiastic to try the very few foodstuffs on offer that he had yet to sample.

"Always love trying out new foods," Wally explained at Yuujirou's questioning look at his plate piled high with Japanese delicacies to the point of outright ignoring any and all Western foods on display. "It's always a blast and it gives me _so_ many ideas."

"Ideas?" Yuujirou asked curiously as they sought out a seat. "You cook?"

Wally nodded. "Yeah, as a kid I always ate a ton and Mum didn't always have time to fix me something. So I was soon deemed 'trustworthy' with the stove and she was showing me how to make my favorites so I'd stop bugging her every other hour."

Nodding with a chuckle, Yuujirou revealed, "My mother worked a lot when I was young, so it was often my duty to prepare a meal for her when she got home. I always found it to be surprisingly enjoyable."

And with that little revelation, it felt as though whatever lingering awkwardness between the two new roommates seemed to have vanished as the boys soon became engulfed in a discussion of the differences in preparing Western and Eastern style dishes, with promises to exchange recipes and such if they ever got permission to use the Home Ec room.

Soon, however, a new voice interrupted them.

"Hey, Shihoudani-kun, mind if I sit here?"

Looking up from their discussion, Wally and Yuujirou were greeted by the sight of the strawberry blonde boy from Wally's history class, who was looking distinctly self-conscious.

"Sure," Yuujirou allowed, before turning to Wally, "This is Yutaka Mikoto. He's staying in the room across from us. Yutaka-kun, this is West Wally."

Wally, ignoring how odd it was to hear his name said in the Japanese custom, glanced back at Yutaka as the other boy took his seat, noticing that he was, in fact, quite pretty, as befitting the sign above his door.

"Any idea on who put up those 'Princess' signs?" He asked hopefully, certain in the knowledge that, if he could learn who was responsible, he could then beat them up and dispel any rumors or further attempts on his masculinity.

Yutaka's shoulders slumped at the mention. "I don't know. Every time I try to ask, either they don't know or they just go silent on me."

Wally briefly glanced around, only to be shocked still. Surrounding their table, it seemed, was an invisible barrier with a radius of approximately 1.5 meters, on the other side of which was a cafeteria so packed full of students that several people had had to grab chairs from a back room and start overcrowding the other tables.

"Anyone else suddenly feeling severely creeped out?" He asked nervously.

Though he didn't look to confirm, too busy keeping his eyes on the horde of boys surrounding them who would intermittently glance in their direction, he could practically feel the other two nod their disturbed agreement.

Once they had finished eating (picking up their pace in their hurry to avoid the awkward glances of their peers), the three boys had fled from the dormitory cafeteria towards the safety of their rooms, inadvertently costing them their chance to speak with the dorm supervisor about the signs above their rooms.

* * *

When Wally made his way to his classes the next morning, he was in a pretty good mood overall. Granted, he, Yuujirou and Mikoto (who had insisted on them using his personal name when Wally and Yuujirou's casualness with each other became apparent and he began to feel left out) had yet to speak to anyone about getting rid of the embarrassing 'Princess Room' signs, but they had resolved to discuss it with their dorm supervisor after school.

He'd received a message from his uncle on his communicator earlier this morning. Normally residing in the left gauntlet of his Kid Flash uniform, Wally generally carried it around with him as a phone in his civilian guise, and had gotten the text from his mentor telling him to meet at the old Justice League headquarters in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island, at around nine in the morning local time.

A quick calculation led him to deduce that that would be at around eleven at night by his clock, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. A few subtle tests the night before had proven that Yuujirou was a pretty heavy sleeper, and seemed to prefer resting earlier rather than later as well.

It'd make getting his usual six hours sleep a bit of a hassle, but for League business he figured that that was an acceptable sacrifice.

Besides, he hadn't even spoken to Robin for 24 hours now, which usually had him breaking out in hives from withdrawals, and he was kind of worried about how Superboy was adapting to life outside of Cadmus. Sure, he'd seemed pretty content with the Moon the other night, but someone needed to show him the true treasures of the world and somehow Wally doubted that Kaldur was the one to do it.

Unfortunately, Wally also doubted that he'd have the time do it himself what with him and the Kryptonian clone being on completely opposing schedules... maybe he could ask Robin to do it and then check in on them when he could?

Or what about Roy? Wally was almost certain that he could talk the archer into anything if given enough time but, with his recent blowout at the Hall of Justice, it might be wise to give him a week or so to cool off.

Wally was dragged from his musings by the ringing of the school bell, signaling the end of his mathematics lesson and the start of lunch.

As he was gathering his still meager supplies, however (he'd yet to hear from any of the staff about his financial aid and his supposed discount at the student store), the ringing of an announcement began.

_"Good afternoon students. Would Shihoudani Yuujirou, West Wally and Yutaka Mikoto please report to the Student Council room after school."_

Wally blinked in surprise as the announcement repeated itself, before noticing how a few of the students seemed to have regained their earlier interest in him. With a number of unfamiliar gazes settling on him uncomfortably, Wally made a hasty retreat, wondering all the while why himself, Yuujirou and Mikoto would all be summoned by the Student Council and coming up with only one legitimate theory.

Were they a part of this financial aid thing too?

As luck would have it, Wally bumped into Mikoto on his way to the cafeteria, the pair exchanging their curiosity, but deciding to hold off on any questions until Yuujirou was with them.

The blonde was already seated when they arrived in the cafeteria, the red head and strawberry blonde joining him as soon as they'd acquired their lunches.

"Do you guys have any idea what the announcement was about?" Mikoto asked nervously, his eyes scanning the room uncomfortably in an attempt to keep track of the growing number of boys who were now observing them unabashedly.

"I'm beginning to think that the school is in on it," Yuujirou replied blandly, also aware of the growing attention they were receiving. "Everyone staring, in addition to the signs... do they know something we do not?"

"Maybe it's a joke thing?" Wally suggested, his unfamiliarity with the Japanese term for 'hazing' requiring a different expression. "You know, picking on the poor guys?"

"'Poor'?" Mikoto furrowed his brows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Yuujirou seemed to share in his confusion, which made Wally very noticeably uncomfortable.

"Oh," he squirmed uneasily under their combined gazes. "Well, I just kind of assumed you guys were here on financial aid as well."

Yuujirou tilted his head curiously. "Why?"

"To be honest, I kind of figured that was why we'd all been summoned to the Student Council office," Wally explained awkwardly. "Which means that I now have no idea what they want from us."

Mikoto and Yuujirou shared an unsure glance, both curious about Wally's situation if he was getting financial aid but neither one willing to breach the topic.

Eventually, it was Yuujirou who broke the silence, "I guess we'll just have to find out later."

* * *

When lunch came to an end, the boys separated to their individual classes, eventually coming together once more just a few hours later.

The three of them had met up just outside of the Student Council room, all of them hesitant to enter for reasons that they couldn't quite place. After all, they had done nothing wrong. They had not broken any school rules (or, at least, Yuujirou and Mikoto hadn't, but Wally was certain that they could not know of him leaving school grounds without permission the previous afternoon).

But there clearly had been some trouble with other students, if the 'Princess' signs and the near constant staring was taken into account, and the protocol for such things was beyond them. And they were very nervous to find out.

Still, Yuujirou knocked on the door in a commendable display of courage, which soon opened to grant them entry.

Standing within the frame of the door was a kind faced boy a year or two their senior.

Smiling, he welcomed them. "Come in, come in. We've been waiting for you."

With that, Yuujirou and Wally awkwardly returning the smile and Mikoto following behind them, the trio hesitantly entered the room whilst the upperclassman went on ahead.

What waited for them within were four young men, all of them upperclassmen, three of whom, including the one who had opened the door for them, standing behind the fourth, who sat comfortably in a chair before them, facing the three first years entering his abode with his legs crossed and his face smiling disarmingly.

"Welcome, Shihoudani-kun, Yutaka-kun, West-kun," the seated one greeted them gracefully, waving for them to take a seat on the small couch before him. "I am the Student Council President, Arisada. Behind me are the other members of the Council."

Quickly running through names and duties, Arisada introduced the Vice-Chariman Koshino, the Secretary, Tadasu and the Treasurer, Harue. All of whom smiled kindly and waved.

All of them, Wally couldn't help noticing (perhaps a tad jealously), would not have looked out of place on a magazine cover.

"Shihoudani-kun, Yutaka-kun, I understand you may be a bit confused as to why I've called you here today," Arisada continued, still smiling genially. "West-kun likely already knows, but I'd like to be the first to proudly welcome you to the Princess System."

Wally frowned at that. Unbeknownst to him, both Yuujirou and Mikoto had frozen on either side of him.

"I'm sorry, President," Wally apologized honestly. "I think I misheard you... I'm not yet entirely fluent in my Japanese. Could you please repeat that?"

"Of course, West-kun," Arisada nodded obligingly, his smile never dimming. "I would like to welcome you to the Princess System."

Wally blinked in confusion, his mind currently searching for any alternate translations beyond the most literal one. After a brief moment of trial and error in this regard, Wally turned to Yuujirou, who was only just starting to regain his bearings.

"Is he saying 'Princess'?" He asked. "Or am I hearing something wrong?"

"No," Arisada answered, Yuujirou not yet having regained his ability to speak. "I believe you heard me correctly West-kun."

Arisada tilted his head, sensing some misunderstanding. "You _are_ aware of the Princess System, are you not, West-kun? Your father agreed that you would participate in exchange for the financial aid that comes as a part of the position, after all."

Wally blinked in confusion, before deciding that 'Princess' simply had a secondary meaning that he was unaware of. Or perhaps it was a homophone that he wasn't familiar with.

"Oh," he nodded in understanding. "Right, that. Okay."

"Wally," Yuujirou said nervously. "What are you talking about? You know about this?"

"Sort of," Wally told him uncertainly. "Fujimori Academy has some sort of financial aid situation that they offer to certain students. Basically, they reduce the cost of tuition in exchange for students performing a few duties around the school."

"Exactly," Arisada nodded approvingly. "Of course, there are a few other benefits to the program, but we'll get to that later. For now, I'm sure the three of you wish to know of your duties?"

"Right," Wally smiled. "So, what? Are we on cleanup duty or something?"

Behind Arisada, the Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer of the Student Council gasped in horror at the very thought, whilst the President himself merely chuckled as though Wally had just told a particularly amusing joke.

"Nothing of the sort," Arisada assured him, still smiling politely. "It simply wouldn't do to have our school Princesses performing such menial labor. Why, the students would never hear of it."

"Then what exactly would our duties be," Yuujirou asked, his face carefully kept neutral and his voice strained with the effort of keeping it level. "As 'Princesses'."

"Why to keep up morale in the school," Arisada replied happily, gesturing around him with a wave of his arms. "Use your beauty to breathe fresh life and innocent joy into our tired male students."

Here Wally frowned again, whilst Mikoto squeaked quietly to his right and Yuujirou tensed on his left. 'Beauty'?

"Excuse me," Wally interrupted, confused again. "I think something got lost in translation. What exactly _is_ a 'Princess'?"

Arisada smiled, unconcerned, and began to politely explain.

"Here at Fujimori Academy, we have only male students," he said simply. "This creates tension between classmates who lack any beauty in their lives to soothe their weary souls. To correct this, we have a tradition here at Fujimori. Each year, we select a few of our students to become 'Princesses'. They make an effort to dress as girls for certain events, cheer for our clubs and teams during competitions... basically, they provide a source of beauty that the rest of our student body sorely misses during the school term."

"Of course," Arisada laughed lightly. "Only first years are eligible for the position. The Princess role can take quite some time from the students' lives, and only first years have the light workload that will allow for their studies not to suffer. In addition, the first year students are more likely to have appearance that make them better suited to the Princess role."

Finishing his impromptu history lesson, Arisada finished by repeating himself. "As I have said, we would like the three of you to be this year's 'Princesses'."

There was a brief moment of silence as the three Princess candidates contemplated the offer put before them.

"No!"

"No thanks."

"I'm sorry, President, but I believe that we must respectfully decline."

"Oh?" Arisada's genial smile drew into an almost condescending smirk. "I am afraid that I must decline your rejection. Once chosen, a Princess cannot simply withdraw from their duties."

"But we never agreed to-"

"On the contrary, West-kun," Arisada interrupted. "Your father agreed that you would participate in the program in order to qualify for the financial aid that is just one of the many benefits of the Princess System. And, as for Shihoudani-kun and Yutaka-kun, a part of being accepted into this school is agreeing to behave as a Princess if you are so chosen. Refusal to participate in the program is grounds for immediate expulsion."

As soon as the President explained what his father had agreed to, Wally's mind began working a mile a minute. He could see his father, whose Japanese was, though adequate, perhaps a little bit rusty since his foreign language course in college, perhaps misinterpreting his friend Itou Takumi's offer. Wally could see Rudolph West agreeing to the terms under the assumption that the 'duties' would be more menial in nature, completely missing the true meaning of the Japanese word for 'Princess' which Wally somehow doubted had come up in his father's vocabulary, whilst no one would correct him under the assumption that he was fully aware of what he was agreeing to.

And, as soon as Arisada announced the ultimatum, accept the Princess role or be expelled, his mind was already screaming at him to choose the latter. After all, expulsion would be a far better fate than... than...

But... would it really? Expulsion was a serious matter. It had already been downright impossible getting into any local public schools with his record of unexplained absences, and an expulsion on his record could only make things worse. More than that, his family couldn't afford to send him to another private school that might be willing to overlook his record. Hell, the only reason they'd been able to afford _this _one was apparently because of the Princess System.

And then his mind turned to Gotham Academy. Dick had made it very clear that Bruce could easily pull strings to get him in on a full ride (heck, if they weren't comfortable taking an academic scholarship away from another student, Bruce could pay for it out of his own pocket). If they were desperate enough to get Wally into a school then he knew he could talk his parents into it.

With an expulsion on his record, however... Gotham Academy had a very strict policy. As an elite school, they could afford to take in only the best of the best of the best. Three qualifying standards must generally be met in order to earn a place at the prestigious school. The students must be able to afford the outstanding tuition, their academic performance must be all but perfect and their school records must be absolutely impeccable.

Bruce may be able to sweep any suspect behavior under the rug with a little extra cash. 'Unexplained absences' could, in fact, be explained after all, if only someone were to get creative enough. But an expulsion would sink any chances he had of getting into the only school left where he actually had enough pull to be accepted _and_ afford.

Wally made his decision in an instant, even if that instant, to him, felt more like ten solid minutes of intense internal consideration. He would play along with Fujimori's ridiculous game, for today at least. He'd talk to Dick about transferring to Gotham Academy as soon as humanly possible.

He didn't care if his parents tried to pull the 'but you'll be so far away' card. He'd promise to visit them every day if he had to. He was _not_ going to go through with _this_. He couldn't think of any reason why anyone ever would.

"Just to clarify," Arisada smiled, as though somehow predicting his thoughts. "Refusal to participate in the Princess System extends to academic transfers. Any Princess proven to be seeking such a transfer will be automatically expelled."

Wally's jaw dropped with an audible 'click', leaving his mouth hanging open so wide Arisada was briefly concerned that flies would get in there.

"I'm sorry," he offered, with a hint of true sincerity and an apologetic smile. "But, once chosen, a Princess simply can _not_ abandon their duty to the school. I know that it will be difficult, but I assure you that it _is_ well worth the benefits. Both to the school and to yourselves."

Of the three, it was Yuujirou who first rediscovered his voice... after almost five minutes of silence.

"You..." he began shakily. "You said something about benefits?"

"Benefits?" Wally asked quietly, still somewhat shellshocked. "What kind of benefits could possibly make up for having to crossdress?!"

"I promise you, the benefits are quite inclusive," Arisada assured them, his smile returning to its previous joviality.

"Yes," the Treasurer, Harue, spoke up. "The budget for the Princess System is amongst the largest in the school, allowing us to be quite generous in regards to the Princesses."

"Exactly," Arisada confirmed. "As West-kun is aware, the position comes with a significant discount to the Princesses' tuition costs. In addition, everything sold at the student store will be free for your purchase. This, of course, includes textbooks, notebooks, pencils and other school supplies, along with your school uniform and gym clothes."

Yuujirou's eyebrows rose, impressed. Mikoto and Wally had not yet properly recovered enough to appreciate it.

"Furthermore," Arisada continued. "Though this isn't an _official_ benefit. It is quite common here at Fujimori for our school's photography club to take pictures of some of our students and sell them. It is school policy that the models of any such works be compensated, so, as Princesses are often much sought after models, it is quite likely that the three of you will make quite a profit over the course of the year."

Yuujirou was, again, impressed. Mikoto, on the other hand, came from a rather well off family, so monetary incentive meant little to him, even if he were actually aware enough to consider the offer. The promise of money, however, _did_ manage to get the wheels of Wally's mind turning again, even if only for a moment before he dismissed it as 'not worth it'.

"Also," Arisada continued. "Princesses are allowed to eat for free at the school cafeteria."

Now_ that_ one got Wally's attention fast. With a metabolism like his, Wally was well aware that, even though his parents had never said anything, his stomach had always been something of a burden to his parents' budget ever since he'd gained his powers. It was just one of the reasons why he loved hanging out with Dick and Roy so much... the two of them were heirs to billionaires. They could afford to treat him to lunch without it so much as making a dent to their wallets.

But free food? For a whole year? Though Wally was loathe to admit it out loud, that almost sounded like it was actually _worth_ dressing as a girl to get! The money his parents would save...

"And, finally," the President continued with a pointed look in Wally's direction. "There are certain provisions made for Princesses in regards to attendance. It is well understood that maintaining your appearance can be a stressful and time consuming endeavor. And, of course, your Princess duties may at times overlap with your scheduled classes. As such, so long as your grades do not suffer, your teachers will overlook any absences under the assumption that you are at work bettering the school."

"In other words," the President finished, preparing to hammer the final nail in Wally's coffin. "Your attendance will always remain exemplary."

Wally almost moaned aloud at the very thought. The school's financial aid was one thing and the promise of a little walking around money was a tempting fringe-benefit, but the others... he could eat as much as he wanted every day and never have to worry about his parents finances...? And the attendance thing? Nobody would give him detention if he showed up late for class after having overslept from a night of patrolling? No one would comment if he missed a day here and there while he was nursing bruises on top of bruises? Nobody would give him grief if he suddenly had to leave in the middle of the day to deal with an emergency?

All he'd have to do was claim 'Princess Duties', or say he'd needed a spa day to keep himself looking the part and they'd leave it at that?

"Of course," Arisada added. "That particular privilege is rather easily abused, and cases where it is overused will be investigated and may result in a Princess being stripped of their benefits."

And that right there slammed the breaks on Wally's whole train of thought, only for Arisada to slam right back on the accelerator when he winked.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that though," he smiled conspiratorially. "Though all of you will be expected to attend any scheduled Princess Functions, so long as at least two of you are present to bring light to the darkness of our students' hearts during a regular school day, no one will mind if you take a personal day here and there. Why, when _I _was a Princess, I was able to take thirteen personal days without anyone saying a word."

And with that, Wally's fate was sealed, however reluctantly he was to admit it.

"...I'll do it, President," Wally's head was bowed as he refused to make eye contact, his cheeks blushing so heavily that his freckles were fading into invisibility. Arisada considered the condition quite cute, taking it to be proof that he'd found an exemplary candidate. "I'll be a... a Princess."

"Wonderful," Arisada clapped his hands in delight. "The students will be so pleased. And you, Yutaka-kun? Shihoudani-kun?"

"It sounds like difficult and embarrassing work," Yuujirou admitted bluntly. "But, you are correct. The benefits do seem to outweigh the costs. And you say you yourself were a Princess?"

"Yes," Arisada smiled proudly. "Back when I was in my first year, I was chosen for the role. It was because of that that I managed to earn myself my current position, in fact."

"Arisada-kun was the most beautiful Princess Fujimori had ever seen," the Vice-Chairman Koshino remembered fondly.

"Ah, stop," the President brought a hand to his cheek demurely. "You're making me blush."

Yuujirou nodded solemnly. "Then I shall also take on this duty."

With Yuujirou's acceptance, all eyes in the room suddenly turned expectantly to Mikoto who, it seemed, had finally begun to reboot after the initial revelation that he was expected to dress in girls' clothing.

"I'm sorry, President," he said, his voice wavering, revealing his nervousness. "But I can't do this. I think that... I think that I'd rather be expelled than be a 'Princess'."

To his right, Mikoto could feel Wally and Yuujirou's surprise at his announcement, though why they felt that way was beyond him. If they were smart, they'd be doing exactly the same as him.

Arisada frowned, truly disappointed. "If that is truly how you feel, Yukata-kun, then that is a shame. I will have speak to the staff about your expulsion."

"Thank you, President," Mikoto bowed his head graciously.

"Wait, wait!" Wally stood up suddenly, grabbing Mikoto by the shoulder and dragging him along with him. "President Arisada, just let me talk to him, please?"

Arisada eyed Wally curiously, even as Mikoto struggled to escape from Wally's surprisingly solid grip.

He nodded, waving to express that they were allowed to leave.

"I will give you some time to think on our offer, Yutaka-kun," Arisada decided, neither him nor the rest of the Student Council making a move to interfere as Wally began to drag the other boy towards the door.

"Great," Wally replied through gritted teeth as he tried to make himself heard over Mikoto's protests. "We'll get back to you in a minute!"

"Yuujirou, follow me," he ordered as he forced Mikoto out the door.

The blonde hesitated for a brief moment, glancing at the various members of the Student Council, most of whom wore concerned frowns, but for the President, who seemed unable to drop a confident smile. Yuujirou then hurriedly followed his fellow Princess and tentative friend out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, just wanted to say thank you to all of you who've been reviewing the story, your comments are all very much appreciated. Anyway, on with the story, here is Chapter 4.

* * *

Once outside the Student Council Office, Mikoto continued to protest loudly and pointlessly while Wally (with Yuujirou's reluctant assistance) herded him towards the nearest empty classroom they could find.

"What are you guys doing?!" Mikoto hollered furiously, the moment Wally had let him go, Yuujirou closing the classroom door behind them.

"Trying to keep you from making a big mistake," Wally retorted fiercely. "Dude... do you really want to be expelled?"

"It would be better than this..." Mikoto's face scrunched in disgust. "_Perversion_. I am a man! I will not dress in skirts and dresses and let myself be ogled by a school of perverts!"

Behind Wally, Yuujirou sighed. "You know, when he puts it like that, it does actually sound rather disgusting."

"Trust me, dude," Wally shared his exasperation. "You don't have to tell me. And if there were any other way, you can bet that I'd be out of here so fast it would make your head spin. But I can't afford to get expelled!"

Yuujirou blinked. Having considered the Council's offer thoughtfully once it was revealed that they could not simply back out, particularly once the benefits had come into play, he had honestly not considered what an expulsion would mean for him.

Neither, it seemed, had Mikoto. At least not if the strangled cry emanating from his direction was any indicator.

Turning to face him, Wally and Yuujirou saw that Mikoto was hanging his head, seemingly losing all hope in life in an instant.

"...I wanted to be a doctor," he revealed, his voice wavering once again. "Expulsion would mean..."

Wally and Yuujirou shared a glance, before Wally offered sympathetically, "It would hurt your chances, to say the least."

"But..." Mikoto said lowly. "I _can't_. I can't wear _dresses_. I can't be a _Princess_!"

Yuujirou shook his head in disbelief. The idea of throwing your entire future away for the sake of a little masculine pride was almost completely foreign to him. As far as he was concerned, this 'Princess' thing was already a done deal. He truly did not want to dress or act as President Arisada had described, it would be a humiliating experience to say the least. But he also considered the benefits being offered as ample compensation.

Wally, on the other hand, understood perfectly.

"I know," he said softly. "It'll suck. It'll probably be the worst thing any of us will ever have to do. But I, at least, am going to get through it. Because if I don't, then I can kiss any chance I have at a normal future goodbye."

And that was the truth. With his abilities and intelligence, Wally had no doubts that he'd be able to find employment, even if his expulsion from Fujimori did guarantee that he wouldn't be able to continue his schooling without forcing his parents to completely uproot the new lives they were building here in Japan. Hell, he had a standing invitation for an internship at both Wayne Industries and Queen Consolidated.

But without a high school diploma getting into college would be more than just a chore. Getting properly accredited as a scientist would become a nightmare. For all that Bruce and Ollie might treat him well, he'd never get to experience the freedom of life at its fullest because his place of employment would depend entirely on Bruce and Ollie's goodwill and capacity to influence their respective boards of directors to take on some random kid with no official education or accreditation to his name.

"I can't give that up," Wally said strongly. "So I'm going to suck up my pride and I'm going to wear the stupid dresses. And I'm going to _smile_. I'm going to make sure that Arisada never has a reason to revoke the benefits of these ridiculous 'duties' and I am going to make _damn_ sure that nobody outside this school ever finds out about it!"

Mikoto looked up, only just barely able to meet Wally's gaze considering the way that the redhead was looking forlornly towards the floor, casting a solemn shadow over his eyes. His eyes shining with tears that he was holding back by force of will, Mikoto knew that he was trapped just as well as Wally was.

He was a fairly intelligent person. Without bragging, Mikoto was confident that his grades this year would be more than just acceptable. He intended to study hard and make sure that his grades would be exemplary enough to allow him to eventually be accepted into a good university so that he could study medicine.

However, many other students across Japan felt much the same way. And when it came down to apply, the best universities were likely to weed out those candidates with previous behavioral problems. Unless his grades were absolutely perfect (something that, in all honesty, Mikoto was not confident he could pull off), he simply could not afford to have an expulsion on his record. Not unless he wanted to give up on his dream of one day becoming a doctor and taking over his family's practice.

"But the dresses?" Mikoto whispered.

"I know," Wally nodded, still not looking up. "This will be the worst year of our lives. But we don't have a choice."

Without a word, Mikoto and Wally suddenly threw themselves into an embrace, neither one being entirely certain of who had instigated the intimate act and neither one entirely caring as they buried their faces in each others' shoulders and cried for the coming loss of their masculine pride.

Behind them, Yuujirou snorted derisively. "You guys are such drama queens."

* * *

Eventually, eyes still a little wet for reasons that Wally and Mikoto were not likely to admit, the three boys left the classroom, moving at the march of a man sentenced to death on his way to the execution, though Yuujirou only followed this pace because the others abjectly refused to hurry the procession along.

President Arisada seemed completely unsurprised when they returned, Wally offering an apology for their earlier behavior and Mikoto reluctantly agreeing to act as a Princess alongside the others.

Giving them a pleased 'thank you', he waved them on their way, telling them that there would be an assembly at the end of the week to announce their positions to the rest of the student body and that they would have to meet with their costume designer as soon as possible in order to ensure that their clothes would be prepared on time.

And with that, they introduced the upperclassman Natashou, who was, in a word... terrifying.

Other words that also sprang to mind were creative, dedicated and excitable, but it was the combination of those three traits that caused the bespectacled costume designer to be labeled as such by his current models when he began incessantly babbling (and Wally was certain he'd seen a little foaming at the mouth too) about his newest ideas for dresses involving heaping quantities of lace, silk and ribbon.

Natashou had had to be dragged from the newly conscripted 'Princesses' by two of his assistants from the Home Economics Club.

Not that that granted the boys any reprieve, of course.

"Follow them now to the Home Economics classroom," Arisada told them politely. "They will need to get your measurements for your costumes."

Even Yuujirou felt dread well in his stomach at the reminder of their new duties, but the three, regardless, followed Natashou's assistants to their doom. Although, Mikoto had to be flanked by Yuujirou and Wally, the other boys somehow sensing that Mikoto might try and make a break for it in a moment of weakness.

Once they arrived in Natashou's domain, the next thirty minutes spent there was, for the most part, actually quite normal.

Natashou had reigned in his eccentricities whilst he busied himself with his current priority of acquiring measurements and, though he did occasionally mutter to himself about which color palette would best compliment Wally's eyes or Yuujirou's fair complexion, or which material would be easiest to work with to create the best overall results in regards to function and appearance, it was far less stressful than his earlier outbursts.

In all honesty, it felt almost to Wally like Joan Garrick was taking his measurements again, muttering all the while about how Barry's pure red bodysuit would look so awkward on him and how he needed to add a bit more color to the design and let his hair out for a better contrast.

But then, of course, it got awkward again. After having gathered measurements on everything from the boys' hat size to their shoes, Natashou revealed that he needed an unobstructed measurement of their chests.

The three Fujimori 'Princesses' paled considerably at that, as Natashou began to ponder aloud as to how generous a bust size he should create for them.

Still, it was a part of the duty.

Yuujirou was the first to begin to disrobe, slipping off his blazer and bringing his hands to his collar to begin unfastening the buttons keeping his shirt closed.

"Ah!' Natashou yelped, his two assistants providing surround sound when they saw what Yuujirou was doing. "Shihoudani-kun, that isn't appropriate!"

"Eh?" Yuujirou frowned, whilst Wally and Mikoto backed away, the two of them still working through the earlier 'bust size' comment. "You said you needed a measurement...?"

"Yes, of course," the first of Natashou's assistants, a boy by the name of Tanaka, agreed hesitantly. "But it would not be proper for you to disrobe before our eyes."

Eyebrows furrowing and voice lowering dangerously, Yuujirou asked, "You do realize we're guys, right?"

"Please, Princess," Tanaka begged. "Let us have our fantasies!"

Yuujirou suddenly found himself turning green. Wally and Mikoto weren't far behind him.

"Please, Princesses," Natashou began to herd them to a curtained off area of the room, handing Wally a roll of gauze as he went. "Disrobe here and use this to preserve your modesty. Only then will we be able to gather your measurements appropriately."

With that, Natashou closed the curtains behind him with a smile, leaving the three alone, separated from their designers by just a thin strip of cloth.

Wally glanced from the curtain to the roll of gauze in his hand, and then towards Yuujirou and his shirt with only a single button undone.

Blushing heavily, he muttered, "I think this might be going a little bit too far."

Sharing his blush, Yuujirou shook his head to try and dismiss it, before his hands began to deftly work at removing his shirt.

However hesitant it may have been, Wally followed his example, and Mikoto, with even greater reluctance, followed his.

And then came the time to 'preserve their modesty', as Natashou had put it.

That had been awkward. Wally had a little bit of experience in binding his ribs on occasion after a fracture (usually from certain expeditions that his uncle most definitely did _not_ know about), and was able to deal with his own coverings fairly easily, but Yuujirou and Mikoto had needed a bit of help.

Once adequately covered so as to preserve their designers' fragile fantasies, their remaining measurements were soon gathered, with more than one uncomfortable comment being made to the trimness of the Princesses' waists and the slenderness of their shoulders.

Particular attention was actually paid to Wally when Natashou noticed that, though the other two boys were certainly thin, the redheaded Princess seemed to have a complete and total lack of body fat which, given the fact that his runner's build lacked quite a bit in the bulging muscle department only served to enhance the feminine appearance that his already pretty face and apparent breast bindings served to create.

"Are you sure you're eating correctly, West-kun?" The assistant Tanaka asked with concern as he brought the measuring tape around his torso, noticing that, were it not for the lean muscle Wally almost seemed _dangerously_ thin.

"I have a really fast metabolism," Wally explained awkwardly, more to Mikoto and Yuujirou than the designer. "It makes it pretty hard for me to keep on any weight."

"So _lucky_," Natashou praised, before turning concerned. "But you really should be careful with that. We can't have you falling ill."

"Nope," Wally answered ironically. "Wouldn't want that. I'd hate to have to miss my duties."

And with that, the designer pronounced that he was finally (mercifully) done.

"I'll have some prototype designs ready for you to try by tomorrow afternoon," he promised cheerfully, giving the boys a single day to try and forget what was coming at the end of the week. "And then the final products will be ready by for the announcement the Friday!"

* * *

Between the meeting with the Student Council to be assigned their new roles and then the session with Natashou to get their measurements, it was nearing six thirty in the evening by the time the boys finally got back to the dorm.

It was decided unanimously that they simply do _not_ want to go to dinner after they notice that those few people that they pass in the halls have already begun to address them as 'Princess'.

Instead, sorely needing time to ponder over their respective abilities to make significant life choices, they found themselves retiring to their respective dorm rooms without much fuss, falling into their beds with extreme satisfaction.

Yuujirou looked up from his pillow a few minutes later to see that Wally, having already shrugged off his school uniform, was frantically looking around the room wearing jogging shorts, a singlet and a pair of runners.

"You going somewhere?" He asked curiously, propping himself up on one arm to get a better look as Wally started to shove a few things into a small backpack.

"Just going to run some laps until I lose the urge to attack the President," Wally told him tiredly.

"Yeah?" Yuujirou blinked bleary eyes. Though it was still early in the evening, he'd had a _long _day. "You want me to come with you?"

Smirking despite himself, Wally replied, "Nah, that's fine. I'd just lap you anyway. You get some sleep."

Nodding silently, completely fine with the idea, Yuujirou allowed his head to drop back to the pillow. "Shower before you get back or you'll stink up the dorms. And for the love of God, don't wake me."

"Got it," Wally told him, slinging his backpack across his shoulders and heading out the door without another word.

* * *

Wally ran. Far and fast, he ran in an almost desperate belief that, if he could just go _faster_ he'd be able to outrun all of his problems. And, in a way, it worked... for a while. Moving at such incredible speeds, Wally's mind was forced to work on overtime just to deal with the rapid influx of new information, making idle thought something of a rarity.

In a way, it was almost like he became someone else. Gone was 'Wally West', American born high school student studying in Japan. Left in his place was 'Kid Flash', the cocky speedster whose problems made Wally's seem almost trivial in comparison.

After all, it was hard to grumble about the eccentricities of your high school when you were fighting muggers in Indonesia, or evacuating a rural Australian town before it was engulfed by a raging bushfire. It was even harder to whine or cry about having to dress as a girl when you were dodging bullets, fists and even laser blasts (though how exactly a group of street level thugs had managed to get their hands on LutherCorp tech was beyond him) in the middle of a gang fight in New York City.

To be honest, he wasn't really sure if it was the adrenaline fueled by his speed, the time that had passed or the cathartic nature of beating the crap out of creeps, but he was feeling a lot better when he finally arrived in Happy Harbor almost five hours after leaving Japan.

Granted, he was completely exhausted. He'd had the forethought to snack in every other country he'd been to during the night, but his eyelids were feeling dangerously heavy and he figured that he had only another hour or so before his body would say 'screw you' to his brain and shut down for a solid eight hours regardless of what he thought (which would _suck_, seeing as how he was meant to be at class in nine).

Still, according to his communicator it was just past eleven at night in Japan, meaning that the clock was just ticking past 9am as he punched in a rarely used code to grant himself entry to the hidden caves of Mount Justice in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island.

"KF, nice to see you," Robin, dressed in civilian guise but for his ever present sunglasses, cackled as he entered. "Didn't anyone tell you it was casual dress?"

Wally, wearing his Kid Flash uniform, shrugged with an unrepentant grin, bantering easily. "Dude, what can I say? I feel _naked_ in civvies."

Man, it felt good to talk to Rob again. It made things seem normal, like he wasn't living on the other side of the world, rather than just a few states away.

"Regardless," Kaldur interjected, grabbing Wally's attention as he waved a webbed hand in the direction of those who were also present. "Perhaps, now that we are all assembled, we can begin?"

Batman nodded solemnly whilst the Flash smiled brightly and the robotic Red Tornado stared blankly, metallic face impassive. Superboy still looked distinctly uncomfortable, but had at some point changed out of his torn solar suit into mildly more appropriate civilian dress. 'Mildly more appropriate' on account of the fact that his solid black T-shirt, whilst not quite as distinctive as the bright white full bodied solar suit, still bore the 'S' crest of Superman proudly on its chest.

"The League has spent the last two days in careful thought as we debated a few matters recently brought to our attention," Batman began. His audience of teenagers subconsciously tensing as they waited to hear him finish. "Your work at Cadmus Labs was, though certainly inadvisable, adequate."

"What he _means_," Flash corrected with a grin. "Is that you guys did good. Better than we thought you could, to be perfectly honest. You worked together well and kept your heads together when things went nutty."

"Because of your performance," Batman continued. "We have elected to allow you to act as a team of your own."

"The League'll still handle the big stuff," Flash explained. "But a lot of smaller stuff goes on that we don't get a chance to help with. Mostly it'll be covert ops stuff that we're a little too high profile for. Batman'll be in charge of assigning your missions, and I think Black Canary's volunteered to offer some extra combat training, but aside from Red Tornado here, you won't have a whole lot in the way of adult supervision."

As they explained the duties and expectations of the team, Robin, Aqualad, Superboy and Kid Flash all listened to varying intensities, but all of them were also, at least in part, distracted as well.

_They were getting their own team!_

How could they not be focussed on this one statement of newly realized truth? Granted, for all of them it meant fairly different things.

For Kaldur, it meant that his King did, in fact, trust him. Something that meant more to him than he'd ever have thought since before becoming Aqualad and fighting at his side.

For Robin, it meant that Batman was _finally_ going to let him spread his wings a bit. No longer would all of his vigilante work be carefully regulated under his guardian's watchful eye (aside from a few escapades that Batman was _never_ to know of and of which Wally knew Dick would kill him if he ever considered changing that). Granted, he'd be working as a part of a team, but that was okay. He liked working with Wally when they got the chance, and he was more than willing to give Kaldur and Superboy the benefit of the doubt.

For Superboy, it was a step in the right direction. A step away from Cadmus, who had created him as a weapon, and a step towards earning Superman's approval. After all, if this team were to be running under the authority of the Justice League, then that meant that the Kryptonian had to be involved somehow, right?

And, for Wally, it meant something entirely different. Already confident in his uncle's trust in his abilities as well as already having a bit more freedom in regards to his vigilante activities than Robin ever had. Barry had long since given up on trying to keep track of his oft wayward sidekick when they weren't patrolling (except during school hours... Barry always seemed to be able to track him down just fine on school days), and so long as he didn't get himself hurt there was no reason that that would change anytime soon. Unlike Superboy, also, Wally already _had_ the Flash's approval (however reluctantly that had started out).

No, this team meant more to Wally in the idea that it was a step towards being recognized as a full hero in his own right, rather than simply a sidekick.

To be honest, he wasn't really sure where that desire had spawned from. For years now, he had been nothing but proud to be the latest in the Flash Legacy, but, for some reason, the idea of being seen as the Flash's junior assistant suddenly seemed a lot less appealing than it had been.

He wanted to be the Flash's partner. And he wanted people to know it.

Now, if he ever stopped to think about that, he might remember that he'd never particularly cared about how he was designated before, Wally might also take note of the fact that this newfound need to be accepted as a full hero might coincide with Roy's abandonment of his own 'sidekick' role. It also might just possibly coincide a lot more closely with his recent induction into Fujimori's 'Princess System' and the almost crippling blow to his masculine pride that had resulted.

But, well, Wally had always been good at denial. Ignoring those thoughts with satisfaction, Wally chose to instead focus on what was being said to him.

"Unfortunately, Kid," Barry was saying, and Wally was only just noticing that under the red mask, his uncle was grimacing. "Because of your schedule, it's almost certain that the team will have to operate without you every now and then."

Wally processed this sentence in a picosecond and had his reply at his lips before the next one was done.

"**_WHAT?_**"

"We will not be able to predict when any of the team's missions are likely to take place," Batman said stonily. The Flash awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Due to the fact that you will be operating on a different time zone, the only time when you will be available to assist the team will be during the weekend. This will exclude you from participating in any mission taking place during the rest of the week."

"You're..." Wally gaped, horrified. "You're _sidelining_ me?"

"It's only during the week," Flash offered supportively. "You'll still be free to help out on the weekends."

"It's nothing personal," Batman stated calmly.

"But... _seriously_?"

"I'm sorry," Barry said honestly. "But, look, Kid... with you in Japan, it'll be hard enough just to find time just for us to patrol _and_ keep up with your training. You'll still be a part of the team, you'll just..."

"Be on the bench," Wally muttered bitterly. This was _so_ not what he'd been hoping to hear.

"Wally, please do not be concerned," Kaldur laid a webbed hand on the speedster's shoulder. "You know that no one will think less of-"

"What Kaldur means," Robin interjected quickly, knowing his friend's unfortunate tendency to take a statement exactly the wrong way. "Is that we'll still work together."

"Right," Wally scoffed scornfully, casting a glare towards Batman and his mentor. "Whatever. I'd better head back to my dorm in _Japan_ before my roommate notices I'm gone."

And with that, Wally was gone from the room in a blur of scarlet and gold, leaving the Flash, Robin and Aqualad to eye the space he had occupied regretfully.

"He'll cool off in a few days," Barry said assuringly, though whether it was aimed at himself or the teens was open to debate.

"No doubt," Robin smiled halfheartedly. "The guy can bounce back from anything."

Superboy, admittedly, wasn't entirely certain why Kid Flash seemed so upset, but reluctantly considered that he wouldn't much appreciate it if the League tried to sideline his involvement either.

Batman suppressed the urge to sigh in frustration. Attempting to recapture the remaining teens' attention, he then tried to continue explaining both the duties and expectations of their new positions, as well as, eventually, introducing them to their new teammate.


	5. Chapter 5

Wally was back in Japan within twenty minutes, and was slipping between his sheets a few minutes after that, freshly showered and careful to avoid waking his slumbering roommate as per his agreement.

As he did so, his mind was wracked with more than a few conflicting arguments that seemed far more intense than they should be.

_'How could they sideline him?'_ Was chief amongst them, but it was also tempered by his uncle's words. As much as he hated to admit it, he _did _live clear on the other side of the world. Allowances would have to be made. Truth be told, he'd've been surprised if they hadn't.

But the thought of the others going on missions... saving people, proving themselves... and all without him.

A horrifying thought was wiggling its way through his mind.

_What if they do better without me?_

A part of him- the downright cocky 'Kid Flash'- was positive that that idea was patently ridiculous. But the Wally West part of his psyche was a bit less confident, especially after the earlier events of the day...

And these thoughts followed him to his dreams.

At first he dreamt of the others of his newly formed 'Team'. They were fighting against someone, but he couldn't quite make out who. He knew that they were powerful though. Dangerous. The kind of foe that the League would usually face.

And yet, Wally could see that Robin, Aqualad and Superboy were operating together as a seamless unit, working together to slowly wear their unseen enemy down until Superboy was finally able to land a solid blow that sent the villain hurtling into defeat.

He saw them celebrate their victory, and he even saw the League come down from their orbiting space station to congratulate them, offering them full League membership before they all flew up to the Watchtower.

And left behind on Earth was Wally, who finally noticed that he was not clothed in the impact resistant suit of his alter ego. Rather, he was wearing civilian clothes that, for some reason, felt too large and loose for his frame.

And then he ran (at boring, _human_, speeds that felt so unbelievably _slow_, even though he felt like he flat out _couldn't_ go any faster_). _He ran until he came across a stray shard of glass in the debris of the battlefield and caught a glimpse of his reflection.

And he saw himself. Only 'him' didn't really seem like the right descriptor. Rather than a shirt and jeans that he felt on his skin, Wally saw himself dressed in a bright pink sundress that was the absolute epitome of femininity, complete with ludicrous amounts of ribbon and lace. He saw his red hair tumbling in waist long tresses to frame a delicate face that, despite a coating of makeup making it difficult to discern, he still recognized as fundamentally _his._

And then he woke up, not with a scream or a start, but to a gentle hand pushing against his shoulder.

"Come on, Wally," Yuujirou sighed in frustration. "You sleep like the dead."

Oh, if only.

* * *

The morning didn't pass all that quickly. Arriving in the cafeteria for breakfast at around seven, Wally and Yuujirou both found Mikoto to have already found them a table.

Well, actually, 'found' wasn't quite the right word. It'd be more accurate to say that he'd been shown to the table, isolated in a point of the room that made it easily observed from every other table. Apparently it was another 'perk' of being a 'Princess'. Admittedly, the white tablecloth was a nice touch, though the vase of flowers seemed a little much.

And that right there is where the day started out disturbing.

"Princesses!" The boys were unwittingly dragged from their meals to find the source of the outcry, a group of perhaps seven of their fellow students kneeling beside the table, heads bowed low and voices reverent. "Please bless us with the beauty of your glorious smiles!"

Mikoto's face reddened in humiliation. Wally bowed his head in shame. And Yuujirou... well, he tried offering a small smile, as was his duty.

The reaction that he got was not quite what he had intended.

All three of the 'Princesses' found themselves being hugged close by downright delusional sycophants amidst cries of 'cute' and 'beautiful'.

Wally tensed his fists. Twisting out of the stranger's embrace, he lashed out with a lightning fast punch that dropped him like a light, moving on to aid Mikoto a moment later.

Once he'd torn Mikoto from the grip of his own fans, Wally was very well prepared to take on every single one of them (and with _unsettling_ glee at that), only to be stopped by a hand laying itself lightly on his shoulder.

"I do not think that that would be conductive to our duties, Wally," Yuujirou said tiredly, before he began to drag both himself and Mikoto in an impressive display of strength that belied his slight form. "Let's just get to class."

And as they left, they could hear the cries of themselves being described as 'passionate', 'humble' and 'merciful' respectively. Even Yuujirou found it uncomfortably disturbing.

* * *

From that point on, the day hardly got any better. Separated for the majority of their classes, the boys were forced to bear the burden of their newfound duties alone and, though the presence of their teachers prevented much more than a few longing looks, navigating the hallways was a challenge and a half.

They found themselves being assaulted at every other turn, with people desperate for a glimpse of their 'beauty' in order to liven the dullness and drudgery of their days. And, though Wally was able to fend off anyone who tried to get a little too touchy-feely, Mikoto and Yuujirou were not so well trained, and the effects of their day could easily be seen when the Princesses assembled at the Home Economics class after school.

"Anyone else seriously ready to kill the next person to ask for the 'smile of an angel'?" Wally grumbled miserably as they met.

Mikoto nodded fervently, his face an expression of pure horror and disgust as he revealed in a whimper, "They keep _touching_ me..."

Yuujirou, on the other hand, looking far more at ease, merely shrugged. "Just give them what they want."

The glares of Wally and Mikoto were fierce under normal standards but, lessened as they were by sheer incredulity, Yuujirou was unfazed.

"All they want is a smile," Yuujirou told them tiredly. "So smile. And do it in a way that encourages them to keep their difference, if only because someone would stop them if they tried to get closer."

"In other words," he said with a sardonic smile. "Smile like a _Queen_."

"That..." Wally said blandly. "May just about be the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"And yet," Yuujirou smirked. "I haven't been groped since this morning."

Mikoto gasped, "It _works_?"

"Of course," Yuujirou shrugged, before schooling his features, he suddenly tilted his head, lightly closing his eyes and smiling _just _so.

Just in time. Natashou had finally seen fit to answer his door, only to catch a glimpse of such a heavenly sight and be reduced into a quivering pile of gooey emotion.

But, to Wally and Mikoto's astonishment, neither he nor his assistants, even as they heaped praise of beauty and grace upon their fellow Princess, made a single move towards him.

"Where did you learn how to _do_ that?" Wally asked in wonder.

"Didn't you notice?" Yuujirou smirked, before striding confidently past the designer and into the Home Ec room. "President Arisada smiles the same way."

* * *

Once recovered from Yuujirou's 'Smile from Heaven', Natashou immediately transformed before their eyes to his 'professional' persona, who proudly began to show off his latest creations for the models who would be donning them.

Said models weren't quite as happy about that as he was, the three of them turning first pale and then, later, green when shown the dresses they would be wearing for the announcement of their official roles.

By all accounts, they were lovely gowns. Even lacking in a few finishing touches they were a credit to Natashou's skill as a designer.

To the Princesses, however, they were just dresses. They were black, slightly gothic in design and had flared skirts that ended somewhere around the knee. Aside from that and the seeming excess of lacy frills adorning the garments, there wasn't much more that they would be able to say about it.

"Now we just need a quick fitting," Natashou explained once he had finished describing the work that had gone into the gowns, the vast majority of which had gone right over the Princesses' heads. "Then I can make any necessary adjustments and we'll be all ready by tomorrow!"

Once again, Yuujirou was the first Princess to make a move. Standing reluctantly from his seat, he calmly walked over to the mannequin wearing what Natashou had pointed out as 'his' gown.

The designer's assistants beat him to it, already stripping the mannequin before he was even halfway there and placing the dress in the space that had been curtained off as a changing area the day before.

Wally followed Yuujirou's example, as was quickly becoming the norm in things pertaining to their newfound duties and Mikoto followed after him.

Three small paper bags were waiting for them inside, each marked with the distinct characters of their names to alert whose was whose. Opening these bags curiously, the three boys found themselves each blushing with an even greater intensity than they had for the past few days, which really was saying something.

Sitting innocently in the bags was a threshold that none of the boys had considered, and that none, no matter how well compensated they might be, truly wished to cross.

Wally, of course, was the first to react. And not in a manner that could ever be considered positive.

"_WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?_" He screamed, throwing open the curtains to face the designer directly, his right fist clenched around a silky piece of lacy white fabric.

"Ah, West-chan," Natashou blushed, head bowed and eyes averted innocently as he protested. "Please, do not allow our unworthy eyes the image of your _delicates_."

"_These_," Wally emphasized, holding the panties in an outstretched hand. "Are not my 'delicates'. I do not _wear '_delicates'. _I_ wear briefs!_"_

"But West-chan!" Natashou protested. "Briefs? Boxers? Never! It would completely ruin the lines of the dress!"

"West-kun," Tanaka pleaded. "Please. Natashou-san is correct. Male undergarments worn under such a gown would completely destroy the effect... it would be a travesty!"

"_This_ is a travesty!" Wally screamed, waving the panties again. "I won't wear them!"

"Then..." the other assistant said faintly, his face beginning to redden. "You will go... without?"

Cringing in disgust, Wally shook his head vehemently, "_No!_"

"I am going to wear underwear," he said strongly. "_My_ underwear!"

"No, you will not."

Wally turned away from the designers, fully intent on defending his rights to this new interloper, only to freeze, his words dying in his throat when he caught sight of the Student Council President standing in the doorway, his usual smile gone, leaving behind only a stern expression that somehow managed to scare Wally more than the entirety of the Central City Rogues.

"If wearing male undergarments will, as Natashou claims, ruin the effect of the dress," Arisada explained, a hardness to his voice despite the relatively light manner in which he spoke. "Then you _will not wear male undergarments_. It is your duty, after all, to look the part of not merely a boy in a dress, but a _Princess_."

"So," he continued. "You may, as your designers have suggested, go without. Which I am sure our student body would very much enjoy. Or you can wear what has been so thoughtfully provided. It is your choice."

Wally grit his teeth as he met Arisada's gaze, trying very hard not to blink, look away, or even gulp, determined not to lose this battle of wills.

Unfortunately, Arisada did not have anything to lose in this fight, whilst Wally had everything on the line.

Bowing his head, Wally quietly apologized.

"Very good, West-kun," Arisada's smile returned. "Now, please, back into the changing area. I would very much appreciate a preview of what we can expect to see tomorrow... if that is alright with you, of course, Natashou-kun?"

"Of course, President!" Natashou beamed proudly. "These will be my finest creations yet, and worn by such beautiful Princesses... I am so happy!"

Thoroughly subdued by Arisada's presence, Wally sullenly moved back into the changing area, finding that Yuujirou had already begun donning the feminine undergarments, despite the look of discomfort on his face as he did so. Mikoto, having also heard Arisada's ultimatum, was in the early stages of disrobing.

Despite requiring a few minutes to figure out the bra, eventually just giving in and getting each other to help, they exited the curtained off area with their eyes glued to the floor and heavy blushes staining their cheeks.

Dressed head to toe, including an odd lacy head piece, gloves and even stockings and awkward Mary-Jane style shoes, the boys had never looked prettier, even despite the fact that Wally and Mikoto's shorter hair looked a little out of place.

"The two of you will need wigs," Natashou decided offhandedly as Yuujirou twirled under his direction, allowing him to look at his model from all angles.

The designer frowned as his gaze shifted, "And all three of you will need to shave."

Three hands immediately darted to chins and cheeks, their hearts aflutter at the thought of _finally_ starting to grow facial hair, only to feel their hearts break when they realized that, rather than looking up at their faces, Natashou's gaze was focussed somewhere far lower.

Though their body hair may have been sparse and thin, even the coloring working to make it all but invisible, enough strands were visible poking through their stockings that Natashou felt that they would need to be removed.

"I'll have someone send over some razors to their dorms," Arisada decided pleasantly.

* * *

Wally remembered once reading a series of books from his childhood where, in one of the adventures, the protagonist was required to crossdress as a part of an infiltration scheme that, of course, ultimately worked out with more than a few hilarious misunderstandings.

In that particular book Wally could remember how, when the hero had first been dressed, there had been an awkward conversation where he had reluctantly admitted to his companions that the silkiness of the material felt rather nice, and the breeze that occasionally blew up his skirt was actually rather pleasant.

Wally was now absolutely certain that that entire series was written from pure bullshit. The silk felt slippery and cold. The lace tickled and itched him in places that he could not scratch in public. And the breeze, aside from being downright unnerving, managed to constantly remind him that one wrong move could result in him giving everyone in the room an _extremely _personal view.

All in all, it made him feel uncomfortable and _vulnerable_. And suddenly that book wasn't anywhere near as funny to him as it had been when he'd read it.

Also, shaving your legs was hard! Wally now had half a dozen cuts of various severity crisscrossing his now hairless shins (which would at least be covered by the stockings), not to mention his knees, and Mikoto and Yuujirou weren't in much better condition.

Dinner, at least, had passed without any more groping attempts. Yuujirou, it seemed, was correct to smile as he did. Somehow, he managed to keep the other students at bay, for which Wally and Mikoto were eternally grateful. Though the two of them were still as of yet too stubborn to admit the need to learn the technique for themselves, they were most definitely impressed with its effects.

And Wally did his best to make up some points in regards to his masculinity by eating like an absolute pig. Not to say that he ate in any particularly unhygienic manner. Rather, the sheer _volume _of food that he consumed was aimed to put people off.

Quietly, he chuckled to himself. Let's see how they like a princess who packs away her weight in food and still asks for more.

His plan backfired. Horribly.

At some point in the past day or two, Natashou and his assistants had spread the word of Wally's mysterious metabolic issue. And now, seeing him just eat and eat so much in a single sitting, guys were literally walking up and _handing_ him more food as he ate, talking all about how 'brave' and 'strong' he was to continue with such a troubling illness, apparently taking the issue as Wally being in a near constant state of malnourishment, and how they would do their best to 'take care of their Princess' by making sure that they would always have something for him to eat.

Okay, Wally had to admit, the idea of having people hand him food 24/7? That had been one of his dreams for about as long as he could remember now. But not like this... never like this!

Yuujirou had chuckled cruelly when Wally had slumped his head against the table, moaning all about the unfairness of life and the cruel ironies of fate and, when they finally retired to their dorm, Wally went for another run.

He waited until after Yuujirou had fallen asleep at around nine thirty before taking off, making a beeline straight for Gotham City.

* * *

As a child, Dick Grayson had always woken with the dawn, as had most of the other performers in his troupe. Living with a traveling circus, it was just one of the things that you had to do to keep everything running smoothly.

After the tragic loss of his parents, however, and his eventual relocation to the Wayne Manor, Dick found that he preferred to sleep later and later whenever he could, due in no small part to the simple fact that Batman made him work long hours.

The previous evening, Robin had been out and about until well past two in the morning whilst he and Batman tracked down a group of counterfeiters.

And now, with less than five hours sleep to his name, he was suffering for it.

Dick groaned pitifully when Alfred flicked the blinding lights of his bedroom, not even one second past 7am. Had it been Bruce, he might have considered making a play to stay in bed and sleep rather than going to school. Unfortunately, even though it would have been a risk with Bruce, attempting such a thing with Alfred was just plain suicidal.

The butler _always_ seemed to know when he was faking, and made innocuous threats to the future of 'Robin' if he were ever to whine. As far as he was concerned, 'Master Dick' had made his choice and would take his lumps as they came.

"Master Dick, I advise that you make yourself presentable," Alfred suggested politely as Dick reluctantly untangled himself from his sheets. "You have a visitor waiting for you in the kitchen."

Arching an eyebrow tiredly, Dick asked, "What's Wally doing here so _early_?"

"Helping me get you up in time for school, it seems," Alfred said simply. "Though it might have something to do with the fact that, as far as he's concerned, it's actually nearing 10'o'clock in the evening."

"And he wants a free meal," Dick finished.

"And he always wants a free meal," Alfred nodded. Not that he minded, as such. Master Wallace was a chef's dream, a bottomless pit with a true appreciation for the culinary arts. "He is currently working his way through a plate of pancakes, I believe, though I have now left him alone for a full two minutes. He may very well have moved on to the second."

Eyes widening in fear, Dick gaped, betrayed, "He'll eat mine!"

Alfred nodded, smiling genially. "It is quite likely."

* * *

A hurried shower later and Dick appeared in the kitchen, dressed impeccably in the uniform of Gotham Academy, to find Wally, wearing the yellow and red of 'Kid Flash', though his mask was pulled back from his face, and cheerfully devouring a pile of pancakes that was stacked almost as high as his head.

"Gimme that," Dick muttered tiredly, grabbing for some of the pancakes near the bottom of the small mountain and dropping them onto his plate, dropping into his seat a moment later and reaching for the maple syrup.

"Good morning to you too," Wally smirked around a mouthful of dough. "Bad night's sleep?"

"Counterfeiters," Dick replied monotonously. "Took us all night to find them, and then they _ran_."

Nodding cheerfully, Wally chuckled, "Wow, that must've taken you _hours. _Too bad you didn't have a _speedster_ with you."

"Shut up."

"Just saying," Wally shrugged, innocently smug.

"Well I'd _appreciate_ it if you didn't," Dick sighed wearily. "Not all of us can round up a gang in three minutes and survive on five hours sleep thanks to ludicrously whelming metabolisms."

"True," Wally conceded joyfully, before gesturing to the plate before him, which was now nearing completion, though Dick could easily identify the smell of bacon and eggs wafting through the air. "But just think about how much I have to _eat_. I swear, it'd be a nightmare if I didn't love food so much."

Dick smirked. "We all have our crosses, huh?"

"Got that right," Wally replied, before happily returning to his food.

For a short while, Dick ate too, filling himself quite quickly on Alfred's always satisfying creations.

Once he'd stopped, however, and noticed that Wally had yet to even _begin_ slowing, he paused, a question forming in his mind.

"Are you still going to be on the team?"

Wally froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. After a moment's careful consideration, he lowered it, even as his stomach whimpered at the loss.

"Yeah," he said wearily. "Of course I'm gonna be on the team. You know I can't rock the lone wolf thing the way Roy does."

Dick smiled, "You'd go crazy in two days without someone to talk to."

"Nah," Wally dragged his hand down his brow and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. "I'll do like Bats said. I'll join in on weekend missions and stuff. Maybe do my own thing during the week until Barry starts getting worried."

The heir to the Wayne fortune nodded slowly.

"You should come by the Cave this afternoon," he offered. "I'm gonna try and teach Superboy how to use a T.V. remote. It'll be a blast... assuming he doesn't break it."

"Can't," Wally told him plainly, rolling his eyes. "I'll be in school. Though I _would_ like to see that."

"I'll hack the security tapes if something good happens," Dick promised. "But, seriously, dude. You've _got _to swing by when you get the chance. You _so_ need to meet Miss M..."

Wally jolted at the unfamiliar name. "Miss M?"

"Yeah," Dick confirmed with a nod. "She's J'onn's niece or something. You're totally going to love her."

Dick frowned suddenly, "_Not_ that you should hit on her or anything. She's barely known him for a day, but she's already _so_ into Superboy."

"Yeah, well, y'know," Wally said distractedly, his eyes glancing for his watch. "He's got that... Kryptonian jawline going for him. Gotta expect him to be a hit with the extraterrestrial babes."

"Hey," he said suddenly, standing from his seat. "I'd better get back to the dorms or Yuujirou might notice I'm gone. Hasta la later."

Without another word, Wally disappeared in a blur of yellow and red, leaving Dick to ponder a great mystery of the universe.

Wally had left a plate of food unfinished.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, let me know what you think of the chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, I just want to thank everyone who's been reviewing the story so far. Here's chapter six, so read on, let me know what you think, and I'll get the next chapter up same time next week.

Understood? Okay, now on with the story.

* * *

Sprinting across the Atlantic, Wally did his best to avoid thinking on what he'd just heard.

He failed.

_They had a new teammate._

For whatever reason, he'd been somewhat okay if it was only Aqualad and Robin taking Superboy on missions. Oh, he was still ticked beyond belief, no matter how many legitimate excuses there may have been, that Wally was to be sidelined from any team missions during the week. But he could kind of live with it. For the moment, at least.

_And a _**_Martian_**_?_

In terms of power in the Justice League, there were exactly three beings who outranked a fully developed speedster in terms of both power and versatility.

A Kryptonian. A Green Lantern. And a Martian.

Now, Wally was not quite yet a fully developed speedster but still, being even a developing speedster made him a pretty useful asset to any team. Especially when you considered the rest.

Aqualad, powerful though he may be, drew a lot of that power from the ocean. Without a nearby source of water, Kaldur could only survive for maybe twelve hours. Granted, his stamina in that area was supposedly improving, but he still grew weaker the longer he was on land.

Robin, a technological genius and a prodigious acrobat. His skills with a computer alone would be enough to earn him a place in the Justice League if he were older. Granted, his combat abilities were a little hampered given the fact that, for all his training and weaponry, he _was_ still just thirteen years old. And short for his age too. Physical strength was not something that he brought to the table and, stripped of his weapons and the element of surprise, the fact was that Dick was vulnerable.

That left Superboy who, for all his strength, was _way _underdeveloped for a Kryptonian. No flight, no heat vision, no super-breath, no super-speed... okay, the dude was stronger than just about anyone bar Superman, and his mind was supposedly filled with all sorts of useful little tidbits concerning just about any and every potentially useful subject. But versatility was hardly going to be a strength of his.

But a Martian? That even beat out a _Kryptonian_!

Telepathy, telekinesis, shapeshifting, camouflage_, _intangibility... Wally had no idea what kind of selective pressures were involved in Martian evolution but he sincerely wanted to find out.

They sure as hell put his speedster ass pretty firmly in the 'redundant' column. Okay, so a Martian pretty much put _everyone_ in the 'redundant' column, but Wally was feeling in the groove for self-pity.

And they'd have missions with _her_. They'd get used to _her_.

And why wouldn't they? Wally could scout out any location in anything from seconds to minutes if he kept his turns tight. A Martian's telepathy would let them scan who knows how big an area in damn near an instant.

Wally could be anywhere he was needed on the battlefield in the blink of an eye. With telekinesis, a Martian could conceivably be _everywhere_.

Wally couldn't vibrate his molecules, even though he was _totally supposed to_. All he could manage to do was give himself a bloody nose and, if he was lucky, blow something up in the process. He couldn't run through walls, but a Martian could go _intangible _on a whim.

She was beating him at his own game already!

_Miss M_. What kind of name was that, anyway? What did the 'M' stand for, Manhunter? 'Miss Manhunter', sure _that_ sounds heroic!

Wally bet that Superboy already had a crush on her. And he'd like her better than him, even though Wally was _clearly_ such an awesome bro who helped free Supey from a life of servitude and experimentation and _gave him the moon!_

A stray thought caught his mind and Wally idly wondered if Superboy had taken that offer literally. A quick image flitted through his brain of the Apollo space landing, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin both stepping out of the capsule, American flag in hand, only for them to be confronted by a grumpy Kryptonian (sans spacewear), crossing his arms childishly as he growled '**_MINE!_**' like a possessive two year old.

In his head, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin soon found themselves to be the first human beings to fly through space without a spacecraft, rather than the first men to walk on the moon.

The image probably seemed funnier to him than it should've been, but that was okay. It served its purpose of properly derailing Wally's thoughts just long enough that he was able to enter his dorm with something akin to a smile on his face.

Slipping between his covers at 11:16pm, Yuujirou still slumbering peacefully in the bunk above his, Wally was able to put the mysterious 'Miss Manhunter' out of his mind.

As much as he hated to admit it, he had bigger things to worry about. Primarily how, tomorrow, he was fully expected to appear in front of his entire school looking as feminine as humanly possible. And the fact that he would be doing so alongside two others was only a very small comfort.

It was almost funny, in a way, how he found himself wishing for the days when he only had to deal with Captain Cold, Heatwave and the other Rogues. If nothing else, at least Trickster was guaranteed to make him laugh (no matter how many bruises his 'pranks' may inflict upon his poor battered body).

Wally sighed fitfully. Tomorrow was going to _suck_.

* * *

"This _sucks_," Wally muttered darkly.

Mikoto nodded his agreement, whilst Yuujirou sighed, his patience nearing an end.

"Of _course_ it sucks," Yuujirou said dryly. "We _know_ this. We've known this all week. Stop _whining_ about it."

"Easy for you to say!" Wally replied in a heated whisper. "You with your magic angel smile that somehow tames even the wild animals that go to school here!"

"It's not magic," Yuujirou smirked. "Though it is angelic."

He shrugged, "I can teach you if you want?"

Mikoto and Wally ground their teeth. To be perfectly honest, they were _desperate_ to learn. The problem was sucking up their pride and admitting it.

"I think it's starting," Mikoto whimpered as he carefully looked down from the catwalk.

Wally also peered out carefully, catching a brief glimpse through the heavy curtains that shielded them from view. They were high above the stage of the Fujimori gymnasium, which was currently housing the entire student population for a special announcement.

Below them, Arisada had begun to explain the role of the Princesses, as was tradition, in the most flattering and flowery manner he could manage.

"Geez," Wally sneered, when the President used the words 'angelic purity' as a descriptor. "He makes it sound like we're doing this out of the goodness of our hearts."

"Hmm," Yuujirou shrugged. "Let them have their fantasies."

Wally cringed, "You know I hate it when you mention that. Do you have any idea what kind of _fantasies_ these pervs are probably thinking up right now?!"

"I can probably think of a few," Yuujirou replied dryly. "It makes me sick. So I just focus on all the free stuff instead."

He smiled, not the 'angelic smile' he wore for the crowds, but a smaller and far more genuine twitch of the lips, "That always makes me feel better."

Feeling a deep-seated urge to harm something, Wally tightened his grip on the guardrail. Following his roommate's advice, Wally started to think of the free stuff. The tuition, the supplies, the _food_.

"Huh," Wally blinked dumbly, feeling rage begin to slowly dissipate. "That actually works."

Yuujirou smirked, as Mikoto muttered irritably, "Maybe for you two! What about me?!"

Neither Wally nor Yuujirou had a chance to respond, as it was at that point that the floor beneath them rocked suddenly as it began to slowly descend, bringing them out from the protection of the curtain and under the glare of the spotlight.

And suddenly they were in full view of the entire school.

And they were, in a word, beautiful.

Yuujirou's long blonde hair had been carefully put up into a pigtail style that framed his face, which itself had been affixed with light touches of blush and lipstick in order to make him look more feminine than even he could usually pull off. Combined with the dress and playful waves he gave freely to the crowd, he truly did look quite lovely.

Mikoto had similar effects of blush and lipstick to enhance the femininity of his already delicate features, but it was served to better enhance the shy demeanor that Natashou had had the forethought to predict and managed to make him look younger and more innocent, the flowing tresses of strawberry blonde hair falling around his face and down his shoulders only aiding in the illusion.

Wally, on the other hand, had a relatively minimal level of blush, as Natashou had wanted his freckles to stand out. His lipstick was the same deep red as the others, whilst his wig, the same shade as his hair, though the same length as Mikoto's, was styled in a long ponytail. Supposedly, the effect was meant to make him look more 'sporty', to better fit in with his outbursts against his admirers. Only, now that he was wearing the dress, he was also supposed to look semi-seductive, rather than outright disgusted by those who heaped praise upon him.

As they descended from above, Wally briefly locked eyes with the President, who in one simple glance told him a message plainly and clearly.

_Give it your all._

Wally wasn't sure what, exactly, Arisada would do if he chose not to follow this demand, but nor was he keen to find out.

As Yuujirou did, Wally forced himself to beam at the audience, trying to pretend that they were just reporters who had caught him after a daring escapade. Waving in the demure manner Arisada had earlier demonstrated for them, he put on the show that was expected of him.

Whilst Mikoto was supposedly innocently shy (supposedly unaware of 'her' inherent sexuality), his natural humiliation given the situation ensuring a truly inspired performance, and Yuujirou was played to be coy, Wally was meant to be passionate. In his male clothes, this 'passion' was perfectly acceptable if expressed in the form of violently defending himself against perverted molesters. But, in the garb of a 'Princess', he was meant to smile a lot more and hit people a lot less. He was meant to be flirtatious and... provocative.

Wally had no idea how to be provocative, or flirtatious for that matter, so, for the moment at least, he just smiled and waved, trying very hard not to think about the slight swells of padding on his chest nor the manner in which the students in the front rows were leaning so far forward in an attempt to look up the Princesses' skirts that two of them had already fallen flat on the ground.

He and Yuujirou simply continued their performance whilst Mikoto added his own, far shyer, waves every now and then, all three of them counting down the seconds until they could get away from these nutjobs and out of these clothes. They also locked their knees together violently enough to give themselves bruises.

* * *

Once Arisada's speech came to a close, the Princesses were figuratively thrown to the wolves.

Oh, _technically_, they were allowed to leave as they please. But try telling that to the mob of horny teenagers blocking the only exit.

At least Yuujirou's smiling managed to keep them complacent, successfully working to counteract the arousing effect Mikoto's trembling fear was having on their libidos, and then Wally managed to push it over the edge, finally figuring out a way through the crowd when he felt his stomach protest its empty state.

Under normal circumstances, Wally would never... but hunger has the power to change a man.

"Oh," Wally drew a hand demurely to his forehead as he raised his voice as high as it could go, making great pains to look as though a light breeze could knock him over. "I'm sorry, I feel as though I'm about to faint..."

Immediately several of the boys around them jumped back.

"Give the Princesses space!" "It's Princess Wally's illness! Get them some food now!"

Wally started when he noticed that dozens of boys were already pulling various snacks and lunch boxes from their blazers, pushing them forward, all but demanding that he take them and feel better immediately.

Yuujirou and Mikoto felt sweat beading on their brows as Wally's bid for freedom seemed to turn against him, only to feel a sense of hope arise when he continued his act.

"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly," Wally turned away from the food before him in a rather impressive display of willpower. "It is _your_ food. I'll wait."

Even as he said those words, he knew that he couldn't wait for long. Some of those snacks smelled _good_ and his self control was far from infallible.

But his ploy worked. Students that had previously surrounded them were suddenly beating each other up in order to make a path for the exit.

Fighting back a bit of bile, Wally smiled gratefully, giving a brief 'thank you' as he made his way to the exit, trying very hard not to sprint at his top speeds as he did so, knowing full well that the slight heels in his shoes would be enough to trip him two steps in. Mikoto and Yuujirou flanked him as he left, neither of them all that much more comfortable.

Exiting the gymnasium, however, and closing the door solidly behind them, the three let out a synchronized sigh of relief.

Breathing deeply through his nose, Wally then, with his eyes closed, muttered disdainfully, "Not one word."

To his left, Yuujirou smirked. "I wouldn't dream of it... _Princess_."

"Now let's go," Wally said strongly, striding confidently now, even with the low heels of his Mary-Jane style shoes. "I was only half acting in there. I'm _starving_."

"You're always starving," Yuujirou shook his head in disbelief. "These guys won't like it if their Princess turns into a blimp."

"Then I would jump for joy if I could become that blimp," Wally shot back. "Can we hurry it up?"

* * *

The food was, as expected, _delicious_. And made all the better by the simple fact that Wally did not pay for a single cent for it. Well, not in currency at least. He very much felt that he was _paying_ for it right now, but it still felt good to be given his due.

Even if he _was_ still wearing the dress. Frankly, with the cafeteria staff not batting an eye and with only the identically dressed Yuujirou and Mikoto for company (some of the students had apparently decided that the Princesses needed to be left to dine in peace), being dressed as they were was a _lot_ less embarrassing.

"So," Yuujirou said, testing the waters for what was to follow. "Our first event as Princesses."

Mikoto shuddered at the memory and Wally's face scrunched in distaste.

"I guess it wasn't... _all_ bad," Wally reluctantly began, even as he felt bile rise in his throat at the words. Then he brought his chopsticks to his mouth and munched happily on a small strip of beef. "This food is almost worth it."

"Good," Yuujirou smirked. "Then maybe you'll stop getting your panties in a knot every time we have to discuss our duties."

Wally's face immediately flamed as he clenched his chopsticks so hard in his fist that they snapped. Yuujirou noted the reaction pleasantly.

"We do _not_ need to use that expression," Wally muttered darkly. "Or, for that matter, that word. Understood?"

"Understood," Yuujirou said breezily. "The word _panties_ will never again pass my lips."

Wally shuddered, feeling very much like Yuujirou would be making a point to do just the opposite.

* * *

Wally could feel himself hating the Martian. And he kind of hated himself for it.

After all, it wasn't _her_ fault that she'd been brought into the team at the same time Wally'd been sidelined. It wasn't _her_ fault that she'd already been involved in a major battle with the others (even if it _was_ only against Mister Twister). It wasn't her fault that she was a member of a ridiculously powerful and versatile race.

But, Wally also couldn't help but notice, one of those powers that Martians boasted so proudly was the ability to alter their physical appearance to suit their whims. And Miss Martian (as she was generally referred to in the field, Wally agreed that this was probably better than'Miss Manhunter'), or, rather, '_M'gann_' (what she was actually called) had apparently chosen to give herself bright _red hair and freckles_.

Wally was proud of his appearance. Though occasionally problematic and making him ludicrously prone to sunburn, green-eyed redheads were a rarity in the world and the freckles were kind of part and parcel of it all.

And here the shapeshifter that was effectively replacing him on _his_ team had gone and stolen his look!

Seriously? She couldn't've been blonde? Or brunette? She _had_ to go with red?

Wally had tried not to hate her on sight. To give her a chance like Dick had asked of him, for the sake of team cohesion if nothing else.

And he'd been doing so well too, even though her trying to _poison_ him with a tray of cookies that had been charred beyond recognition certainly wasn't helping. But he'd chosen to take the red hair and freckles as a compliment and given her the benefit of the doubt with the cooking. After all, she _was_ an alien. Who know what she found appetizing?

But then she'd decided to _demonstrate_ those aforementioned shapeshifting powers the Martian species were so well known for. By mimicking Kid Flash.

Ordinarily, Wally would've been happy, proud even, to see his mirror image standing before him (in, you know, a setting where he _wasn't_ being required to have a fight to the death with an evil twin). Mimicry _was _the most sincere form of flattery after all. Except, as it turned out, M'gann wasn't quite a master of her own abilities just yet.

Wally watched as the Martian girl allowed a ripple to pass throughout her form, initiating a transformation similar to those he had seen J'onn perform once or twice in the past.

First, her emerald skin turned a pale pink, freckles already present becoming more prominent and numerous against their new canvas. The pink fabric of her cardigan and skirt stretching and altering under her command, tightening around her changing frame as it stretched to fit her entire body, turning yellow and red to better match the original. Her slim frame quickly grew leaner, muscles growing, fading and altering to better suit a runner.

In other circumstances it would have been impressive, if not for the things she'd failed to change.

The 'Kid Flash' that Wally saw before him was something that might have walked out of his own nightmares. Breasts, smaller than the Martian girl's own but outlined far more prominently by the close fit of the uniform, adorned her chest. Her torso tapered into a thin waist, flaring at the hips thanks to well toned thighs suited to powerful legs.

And the face. _His_ face. Only not. Slimmer, but only barely noticeable. Eyes just as green. Freckles just as playfully dotted across high cheekbones.

And then Robin laughed... not the high-pitched cackle nor the cruel mocking tone he reserved for psychological warfare, but rather the light and carefree chuckle that showed he was truly amused.

"Guess we should've warned you," he laughed as he offhandedly explained. "M'gann's still figuring out the whole shapeshifting thing."

The girl who could've been Wally's twin smiled shyly, eyes lowering to the floor in an almost self-conscious manner as she offered, in a voice lighter and softer but still maybe sort of _his_... "Boys are tricky."

Wally could see Kaldur smiling softly behind her, whilst Superboy watched on, the picture of indifference, and for a moment his heart felt like it would slow back down to a rate that wasn't likely to be mistaken for a stroke. They didn't know. They had _no idea_.

Well, he wasn't going to give them one.

He forced a smile onto his lips, one he usually considered flirtatious but today just felt... sickly. He looked Miss Martian from head to toe, letting out a long whistle that barely sounded strained at all. And his mind worked a mile a minute to try and come up with something that he'd say if this _wasn't_ terrifying him to his core.

"Is it wrong to think I'm hot?" He asked, laying it on thick with the flirtatious voice. Kaldur and Superboy probably wouldn't notice the difference, and Robin would hopefully just think he was kidding.

Miss Martian shifted back into the humanoid appearance she had been introduced in a moment later, smiling shyly as she looked from one teammate to another, her gaze lingering a second longer on the Kryptonian in the room as she tried to gauge their reactions.

"_Anyway_," Robin spoke up again. "You ain't seen nothing yet. M'gann, do you think we could take the Bio-Ship out for another spin?"

M'gann smiled again, far more brightly this time, as she nodded enthusiastically. "Sure. Only this time we'll steer clear of the power plant, right?"

The Boy Wonder chuckled again, whilst Aqualad smiled softly. Wally could only guess why.

And then, as Robin moved started an attempt to direct the burgeoning team towards the hangar of the Cave, Wally loudly asked for the time.

"9:16am," Superboy grunted robotically, and Wally blessed his little cloned heart.

"Seriously?" He bemoaned. "_Damn_, sorry guys. If I don't crash soon, my sleeping patterns are gonna get all outta whack. Raincheck on the boat ride?"

Wally waited just long enough for Robin to nod hesitantly before he started walking purposefully for the zeta-beam transmitters, not feeling up to a trans-atlantic run at the moment.

"_Great_," he said loudly, punching his access code into the panel on the wall. "Call me if we get a mission, yeah? See y-"

His farewell was cut short as Wally was swallowed by blinding light, disappearing from the Cave.

Behind him, Robin blinked in surprise, Kaldur frowned uncertainly and M'gann shuffled self-consciously. All of them unsure of what to make of Kid Flash's sudden departure, but none of them sure enough to vocalize their concerns.

The silence was broken when Superboy asked, "So, are we still going flying?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, so, here's Chapter 7. Sorry this one took so long... truth be told, I kind of got distracted and then I forgot that I _hadn't _posted it. So, uh, my bad. Anyway, here it is... so make sure to click the 'review' button at the end and let me know what you think of it.

* * *

Wally operated on something resembling full radio silence for about a week after first meeting M'gann. He skipped out on a training session with Barry and only replied to Dick's texts in the form of excuses, claiming that he was struggling with his Japanese and he needed to be hard at work if he wanted to keep his grades from suffering.

While not far from the truth (he _was_ having Yuujirou read his homework questions aloud and double-check his answers to guarantee he wasn't mistranslating them), Wally's time was far more preoccupied by his new extracurricular activities.

He, Yuujirou and Mikoto had been meeting with Natashou every other afternoon so that their designer and his assistants could check progressing works against his favored models. President Arisada had them on their off days to go over their schedule for the next month.

This first week was light for them, with no official appearances to make and their only strict duty being to show up for class and deal with their growing fans. Once the next week began, however, clubs and sports teams would start to meet for the year, and the Princesses were expected to make appearances and offer encouragements... in full uniform.

The boys, as could be imagined, were not looking forward to this. And, surprisingly enough, Arisada's calm demeanor as he cheerfully went over which clubs and teams would be the first to receive their attentions, combined with his 'helpful hints and tips' for how best to encourage the best performances, wasn't actually doing all that much to help with that.

And then there was the physical maintenance expected of them. To look the part of 'Princesses', Arisada had begun sending them various skin and haircare products, with directions to use them in specific regimes that varied from bottle to bottle. Additionally, they found that shaving their legs was something to be done with great frequency, if only to cure themselves of the horrible discomfort that grew when stubble began to sprout (Wally swore that he'd had broken bones that weren't as irritating).

Throughout it all, the only people Wally had to talk to were Yuujirou and Mikoto. Their fellow students, though all desperate to be with a Princess, were not exactly interested in conversation. They merely wanted a few minutes to take in their appearance, maybe a few comforting words and then some of the bolder ones occasionally tried their luck at getting something a little different (with rather _painful _results, in most cases).

But Yuujirou and Mikoto, at least, were good company. Yuujirou's intolerance of his friends' whining often made them the targets of his biting sarcasm, but once he directed it towards others he was absolutely _hilarious_. Even when it _was_ aimed in their direction, Wally had to admit it was pretty funny. And Mikoto, so long as nobody brought up their duties, was a fantastic study partner, whose knowledge of biology exceeded Wally's own and had a great interest in many other subjects. The three of them, lacking any better options, spent most of their evenings in Wally and Yuujirou's dorm room, idly chatting as they went over the lessons of the day.

So, though busy, that week ended with Wally in a somewhat okay mood. Despite the frustrations piling up on him in regards to his duties, the week of modeling for Natashou alongside Yuujirou and Mikoto and discussing scheduling practices with Arisada had served as a fantastic acclimatization period. He had, as Yuujirou had, finally accepted that there was nothing to be gained from whining about his situation and was nearing a point where he would actually be able to pick up a pair of panties without sobbing mournfully.

After a relatively quiet weekend at his parents' apartment, he was even feeling as though he should probably make an appearance at the Cave as well, only for that decision to be taken away from him on Sunday afternoon when he received the alert for a mission.

Resigning himself to a night without sleep, he simultaneously felt a combination of anticipation and anxiety as he saw both a chance to prove himself and a chance to be proven unnecessary.

He resolved to prove himself.

* * *

By all accounts it was a relatively simple mission. All they were meant to do was scout out Santa Prisca and determine the source of some unusual activity in the area. Do not be seen. Do not engage.

The trip in the Bio-Ship (which, to Wally's surprise, was actually an airship of extraterrestrial origins rather than a boat) was awkward. Robin, knowing his friend far better than just about anyone, had managed to pick up on Wally's discomfort towards their Martian teammate and saw it as his duty to try and reconcile them.

Since Miss Martian was surprisingly shy and Wally had no desire to talk to her, his attempts fell flat, and only served to draw attention to the problem.

Kaldur elected to leave it alone for the time being. His teammates were not being actively antagonistic and seemed to at least get along, so he would give them the chance to resolve it themselves so long as it did not interfere with their mission performance. Superboy either failed to notice or failed to care.

So the ride there was a disaster, but the mission itself... well, that was kind of a disaster too. But this time in a good way.

They'd been seen. Naturally. And they'd found that, unless they struck immediately, terrible consequences would ensue. Naturally. So they'd had to fight. Again... naturally.

And it was through that that Wally discovered something important.

Wally didn't know how to work with the team. He'd expected that. Aside from Robin, he'd only fought alongside Aqualad and Superboy just the once, and he knew that they'd fought with M'gann before and supposedly they'd been meeting with Black Canary over the past week or so.

But they didn't know how to work together either.

Oh, sure, they had an _idea_. But it was more or less the same idea Wally had, pretty much boiling down to 'make sure you hit the other guys rather than your friends'.

They didn't share that innate trust that the League did. They couldn't charge in wordlessly with the surefire knowledge that their teammate would be watching their back or preparing for a maneuver.

It was humbling for everyone really, making everyone feel awkward and out of place. But at the same time, it made Wally feel that he belonged. He didn't mess up any worse than anyone else, after all.

But, in the ensuing battle... he also didn't really make himself essential.

Aqualad, despite a brief conflict with Robin, assumed command gracefully. Robin making himself invaluable with his hacking skills, enabling the team to discover the presence of Kobra Cult in what had once been Bane's Venom production complex, as well as the fact that Kobra himself would be picking up the first shipment of a new Venom/Blockbuster combination within the hour.

Superboy and Miss Martian both distinguished themselves greatly in the battle that sprung from the team's attempt to prevent that powerful and _permanent _formula from being spread across the globe. Superboy taking on the first to take the serum, a youth by the apt name of 'Mammoth', whilst Miss Martian took on his sister, the only marginally less dangerous 'Shimmer'.

As for Kid Flash? Well, as far as he was concerned, all he did was beat up a few mooks and reveal the team to the enemy in the first place. And get shot at, of course, but that was par for the course.

Sure, some might consider his identification of the Venom/Blockbuster combo to be an integral part of the mission. After all, if they hadn't known what was being transported, there was the potential that the team might not have broken cover in order to stop the shipment, likely resulting in the birth of dozens, if not hundreds, of 'Mammoths' across the world. Unfortunately, it is here where Wally's genius worked against him.

After all, sometimes he was _too_ smart. It was rare, but sometimes Wally forgot that just because something seemed simple to him, then that in no way meant that others perceived it in the same way. So, though it had been simple for _him_ to recognize both the Venom and Blockbuster formulas, having studied them both individually out of personal curiosity and, with his grounding in chemical science, it hadn't been all that tricky to determine what a combination of these formulas would be capable of, it didn't actually occur to him that his teammates likely could not have reached the same conclusion without him.

So, as far as he was concerned, all he did was beat up a few mooks and reveal the team to the enemy in the first place.

Still though, regardless of the fact that he had failed to make himself truly indispensable to the team (oh, how he wished he lived in the states... if he did, he _totally_ could've been team leader! But you couldn't be leader if you were only a part-time teammate), the way that _everyone _had felt out of synch with one another made him feel a bit better. It reminded him... they were a new team, _all of them_. They were still working the kinks out. Still finding their feet and trying to figure out how they fit.

So, it made him feel better. Just a little.

But if Miss Martian ever said 'Hello Megan' again, Wally was going to hurl. He got enough catchphrases from Barry 'Back in a Flash' Allen, and he _so _didn't want to deal with that any more than he had to.

* * *

Wally made his way through Monday morning in something of a tired daze. He handed in homework that had just the faintest scent of lingering smoke (a byproduct of completing it at the literal last minute) and then promptly slumped over in his seat and prayed not to be called upon. He gave up on actively translating his teachers' words by midmorning, having made it that far purely on willpower and a caffeine high that ended _way _too soon (the downside of the speedster metabolism) and it was only thanks to Mikoto kicking him that he didn't slip into sleep during their shared history period.

"Are you alright?" The strawberry blonde asked uncertainly, when the class let out for lunch and Wally began moving sluggishly towards the cafeteria.

"M'fine," he mumbled in response, before doing his best to shake off his daze. "Just didn't sleep well last night."

And, for the most part, he _was _fine. Mikoto reluctantly agreed that Wally perked right up once he'd refueled his tanks, so to speak. Some food, some sugar, and some caffeine all combined together in a perfect blend to transform any shambling teen into a fit and productive student for the remainder of his afternoon classes, until that final bell rang true and students across the campus stirred into a flurry of activity.

Bustling through the halls, the boys of the school hurried with renewed vitality towards their first club meetings of the year, prepped for extracurricular activities that would shake off the dreariness of a days' lessons and distract them from their homework for a few hours at a time.

Wally, Mikoto and Yuujirou were perhaps the sole exceptions in all the commotion. Rather than the excitation that practically drowned the rest of the school, the trio turned glum and morose.

The clubs were meeting today, which meant that it was time for them to actually earn all those nice little bonuses Arisada had been handing out.

Meeting at the Home Ec classroom that had been cordoned off for Natashou's use, the Princesses of Fujimori Academy entered with their usual and noticeable lack of aplomb. Of course, this lack of aplomb meant little to the designer, whose own enthusiasm was enough to more than fill the void.

"Princesses!" Natashou greeted cheerfully, his assistants at the read as they closed the door behind the entering trio. "Since it's your first day, I've decided we'll be going with-"

One by one, Yuujirou, Wally and Mikoto walked solidly past their enthused senior. They had learned in the past week that Natashou would continue to talk regardless of whether or not they were actually listening (which rarely helped anyway, given his preference for using overly technical terms that flew over their heads), and had found it far easier to simply ignore him and find out what they would be wearing by entering their cordoned off 'dressing room' and seeing what had been laid out for them.

As they brushed through the curtain, they found their outfits hanging carefully in wait and stifled groans. Done up in the black and white Gothic Lolita style that Natashou was so fond of, the design was relatively simple with petticoated skirts that brushed the knees and a loose fit to help disguise whatever masculine lines their bodies possessed. Lightly heeled boots that came up to mid-calf accentuated hairless legs whilst the loose fit of the dress was belted tightly around the waist, giving the illusion of a more feminine physique without requiring further enhancements.

When combined with Natashou's artful touch with a makeup kit and (in Wally and Mikoto's case at least) a longer haired wig, it was an extraordinarily effective costume and the boys would look the part expected of them.

The boys knew this, having modeled this particular dress the previous week, and were merely grateful that at least this outfit wouldn't require a corset.

Mikoto closed the curtain behind him carefully, for both his own sense of propriety and for the designers' sakes, whilst Yuujirou and Wally got to work disrobing. As was often the case when changing in a group, a carefully respected silence enveloped them as the boys actively avoided allowing their gazes to settle anywhere that might be considered 'inappropriate'.

It was as Wally shrugged out of his shirt that this silence was broken, when Mikoto noted a discrepancy in the normally rather pale skin of the redhead's upper back.

"What happened to you?!" He blurted out unthinkingly, before the question could filter through his brain.

Wally froze in the process of putting his shirt to the side, honestly not knowing what Mikoto was talking about.

"What?" He responded uncertainly, after a moment's silence. Enough time for Yuujirou too to see what had caught Mikoto's eye.

"Wally," he said cautiously. "What happened to your back?"

"Did someone..." Mikoto asked apprehensively. "_Hurt_ you?"

All across the top of Wally's shoulder-blades were a series of ugly yellow and green discolorations, each the size of a small apple. Bruises that seemed to be at least a few days old if Mikoto were any judge. Bruises that would form from blows being rained down upon someone.

Wally blinked dumbly before realization set in. The bruises on his back were from Santa Prisca, from the blasters used by the Kobra Cultists that fired off rounds of condensed energy. Potentially deadly if it made contact with the skull, but otherwise little more than overly expensive substitutes for rubber bullets.

Wally had caught a trio of blasts mid-dash from a Cultist who was either the greatest marksman in the world or an incredibly lucky shot. His adrenaline high at the time had made them bearable, and thanks to his accelerated metabolism they were already partially healed, giving them the aged appearance that was likely leading to some interesting conclusions.

Wally panicked. Just a little.

"These?" He asked, his voice a touch too jovial for Yuujirou to take seriously. "These are nothing. I tripped down the stairs a few days ago. They're almost healed, anyway."

"Wally," Yuujirou stated sternly. "Those are not 'nothing'. And you don't trip. I don't even think I've seen you stumble once since I've met you."

Breathing deeply, Yuujirou asked again. "What happened?"

Wally deflated, his lie most definitely not being bought. His mind working a mile a minute, he sighed.

"I was mugged on my way home Friday night," he improvised awkwardly. "They hit me from behind and took my wallet. Then they hit me again for good measure. I didn't want to say anything because..."

The way that he trailed off told his audience all they needed to hear. Mikoto nodded his understanding. With all that was happening to them, any suggestion that he wasn't tough enough or manly enough was like a crippling blow to him. Yuujirou, on the other hand, scoffed.

Shaking his head in disbelief, he muttered, "You really are an idiot if you think anyone'd think less of you. Accept it, deal with it and move on. But never hide from it."

Wally blinked at Yuujirou. The blonde was rarely so vocal about his own thought processes.

Realizing that they were watching him expectantly, Wally nodded, giving his promise, "I won't."

Yuujirou nodded in return, satisfied, before turning back to the costume laid out for him, starting unflinchingly with the bra and working his way from there.

Wally gave one last mournful look at his own outfit before Yuujirou's words resounded in his skull.

'Accept it. Deal with it. Move on... but never hide from it.'

It was good advice, he decided, before he tiredly followed suit.

* * *

As the Princesses walked the halls of the school, Natashou already having approved their outfits were being worn 'correctly' and his assistants having applied their makeup, Wally had to admit that their designer, for all his eccentricities, was a pretty decent guy.

Having heard his complaints about their initial costume, Natashou had made some modifications to Wally's current dress, ensuring that the lace involved was not in a position to easily brush against his skin. Simultaneously, silk undergarments had been traded for far more comfortable cotton replacements.

As Natashou himself put it, the comfort of a design was paramount. Granted, there was nothing Natashou was willing to do about the breeze but, still, Wally was grateful.

"Who's first on the list?" Wally asked, figuring he'd best be prepared.

Yuujirou, who was holding their schedule, double checked it as they walked.

"Drama Club," he stated calmly. "We'll be there for fifteen minutes, and Arisada said we should just act flattered and giggle when they start reciting classical poetry."

Yuujirou paused here, fixing Wally with a look. "That means you're not allowed to hit them. At least not while we're on duty."

"Fine, fine," he mumbled with a sigh. "Drama Club... at least we won't be the only ones in lace."

"It could be worse," Yuujirou commented idly. "We're meeting with the Baseball Team after that. Arisada wants us to let them show us how to swing the bat..."

Mikoto winced pitifully, while Wally rolled his eyes, "Man, I've _used _that one. This is so_ wrong_."

"Who's next?" Mikoto asked hesitantly.

"Chess Club," Yuujirou scanned the page. "Arisada's notes recommend that we wait until they offer us a game, play pathetically, and then gush about how smart they are while we let them teach us."

Mikoto frowned beyond his initial pout, "But I _like _chess."

Yuujirou nodded, "So do I."

"Yeah?" Wally grinned. Back when his speed was first developing Barry had made him play _agonizingly _slow games of chess against Iris and his parents as a way to help teach him patience in a way that would also help his ability to think strategically. "We'll have to see if we can't borrow a board from them. We can have a real game back in the dorm."

Yuujirou smiled, "We may be able to make that work. We'll suggest that we need to practice if we're ever to provide a decent game."

Mikoto eyed them warily, "What if they offer to tutor us?"

Wally and Yuujirou blinked simultaneously, before sharing a look.

"Maybe we could get a chess set somewhere else?"

Yuujirou nodded seriously. "Perhaps President Arisada has one we could borrow."

"He _does_ seem the type to be a secret grandmaster, doesn't he?" Wally mused aloud.

Mikoto scoffed. "What do you mean 'secret'? He isn't exactly subtle about the fact that the whole school's made up of his pawns."

Yuujirou nodded, "And yet so few people actually seem to realize it."

"Nah, I think they do," Wally said thoughtfully. "But as long as he does stuff like give them their 'Princesses' and keeps them happy, they just don't particularly care."

Yuujirou tilted his head curiously. "That certainly puts a different spin on our position."

* * *

As far as Wally was concerned, it could have gone worse.

Upon their arrival, the Drama Club had, on cue, spoken in little else but lines from classical Japanese poetry. Between the archaic use of the language and the idioms and metaphors besides, Wally was able to understand not a single word, not that he was particularly choked up about it.

Still, aside from having to suffer through flirtations that he couldn't understand, the Drama Club had been perfect gentlemen and Yuujirou led Wally and Mikoto out on time and without trouble.

The Baseball Team was a little bit trickier. Letting the boys lead them in how to swing a bat was more awkward than they'd imagined but they were also amazed, astounded, and grateful beyond all belief that hands didn't go wandering anywhere inappropriate.

Wally figured that it was probably because they didn't want their illusions shattered when they found distinctly unwomanly curves, while Yuujirou attributed their restraint to his 'Smile from Heaven'. Mikoto honestly didn't care, so long as they stopped touchinghim _out_ of uniform as well.

The Chess Club was actually probably the easiest to deal with. The club members were easily good enough that, even if they'd been trying, the Princesses wouldn't've put up the best of a fight anyway. Except for Mikoto, who maintained that he could and would _thrash _any of them in a real game.

It was frustrating, but at the same time, having the students correct their chess moves was a lot less stressful than having them correct their batting stance.

As humiliating as it all was, Wally was beginning to see that it all boiled down to one simple construct. Annoying, but survivable. He just hoped that none of the other clubs tried to get handsy.


	8. Chapter 8

**Note: **So, here's chapter eight. I want to thank everyone who took the time to review last week and, sorry to the anonymous users, but I can't answer your questions unless you sign in. I will say this though, your questions will be addressed in an upcoming chapter.

Also, I wanted to give everyone fair warning. I've got a major assignment due at the end of this week and I'll be without internet for the weekend, before _another _major assignment is due next Friday. So, there is a distinct possibility that I will not be able to get another chapter up next weekend and it's possible that it might be another week after that before I manage to get everything written up and posted.

Anyway, enough of the boring stuff... on with the chapter.

* * *

Born and raised on Mars, M'gann M'orzz had had a difficult time. Born from mixed parentage and baring the visage of a White Martian, her childhood had not been a simple one. Bigotry, intolerance and prejudice were not simply human constructions, after all. Her life on Mars had not been what she wished it, so, as so many children across the universe had done before her, and as so many children would some day, she looked to the stars and dreamed of a better one.

Her uncle, J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter. In some ways the Martian ambassador to Earth, he did his best to introduce many of his brethren to the strange ways of the Earthlings, bringing examples of their achievements in hopes to encourage good relations with their galactic neighbors.

That was something of a chore, really. Finding things of interest that the humans could offer. Martian science was centuries beyond what the Earthlings could conceive in the vast majority of fields, after all, so culture was what J'onn brought home. Music and literature like nothing the Martian people could imagine, television and movies that could barely be comprehended... for a while, at least, they were popular. But the human ways were simply too strange for many, and the popularity waned in time.

But not for some. Some, like M'gann, saw the lives of the Earthlings with wonder, diving themselves in, as J'onn had originally hoped, trying to learn as much as they could about these strange beings.

And learn she did. M'gann mastered several human languages and practiced her shapeshifting daily in an attempt to mimic the human form. She delighted in customs and traditions so different from her own.

Over time, J'onn took notice of his niece's interest, as well as the growing conflict she suffered due to both her appearance and her parentage. M'gann was not alone in this conflict, of course. Her siblings shared her parentage, but eight bore the appearance of Green Martians which protected them from much of the worst of it. Her elder brother, M'axx, shared the skin of the White Martians, but his skin was considerably thicker than his sister's. No, J'onn had little doubt that M'axx would be fine, but M'gann was in desperate need of his assistance.

So he gave her the opportunity she'd been dreaming of for years. Many of the League were taking on younger proteges, after all, and he would be remiss if he did not also contribute to the next generation of Earth's heroes. He brought her to Earth. And she was overjoyed.

Taking her human name and form from a character she had so loved, she was ecstatic to have been given a chance to follow in her uncle's footsteps as one of their protectors, but the chance to integrate into human culture was possibly the greatest thing she could have imagined.

And she felt she got off to a terrific start. The older heroes of the Justice League J'onn had introduced her to had been welcoming and friendly. Batman had been guarded and closed, but J'onn assured her that he was always like that and meant nothing by it.

And she had met her own team. Friends her own age... Aqualad was so kind and mature, and Robin was so full of life. Superboy was...

M'gann could feel a blush rush to her cheeks every time she thought of the cloned Kryptonian, marveling each time at the reaction the human cardiovascular system created in response to certain emotions. Her original form had never been quite so... sensitive.

In many ways, they were perfect... but for Kid Flash.

Robin had told her all about the speedster before she had even met him. He told her about the dumbest smart guy he knew (and apparently he knew quite a few) who would totally hit on her, but it would be okay because he had a good heart and he probably wouldn't really mean anything by it anyway. Robin informed her of an individual so open and honest that he didn't even know why he was bothering to keep his secret I.D. since, 'once he gets a look at you, Kid Mouth'll spill the beans in two seconds flat'.

The boy she'd met hadn't quite liven up to her expectations.

Rather than warm and kindhearted, he'd seemed almost... cold. He wasn't as boisterous or open as described and even when he _did_ act as Robin had depicted... it just didn't _feel_ right.

Her uncle had been telling her ever since she'd arrived on Earth that the humans she encountered were likely to consider telepathy an incredible invasion of privacy, so she had been trying to be careful with not actively using it on _anyone_. But shutting off her telepathy in its entirety was like trying to close your ears in a crowded room. Things were bound to filter through.

Even though she didn't actively attempt to encroach on other minds, strongly felt emotions had a tendency to be broadcasted for her to hear whether she was listening or not.

And Kid Flash, well, he broadcasted. M'gann could feel his tenseness whenever she was around. She had felt something akin to pure terror when she had demonstrated her powers to him (and had summarily resolved to try and limit her shapeshifting in his presence for the time being, as it clearly made him uncomfortable). She could tell that, even when he _was_ acting the way Robin had described him, his mentality was still far more anxious than she would expect of him.

She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps it was because of _her_. After all, he didn't seem to act this way with the others. She knew from Robin and Aqualad and even Superboy how Kid Flash was _supposed _to be. And the way Robin talked, he was _still _acting that way now... but only when she wasn't there.

For a brief moment, she thought self-consciously that perhaps it was the way she had chosen to introduce herself in her humanoid, but in some ways still so very alien, Green Martian disguise.

But even J'onn's memories of the young speedster didn't correspond to the way that he acted in her presence.

She just didn't understand...

She wanted to try and communicate with him. Maybe see if she could find out why he was reacting to her in this way and then... maybe she could change?

For now, she resolved to only greet him in her Megan Morse form to try and make him more comfortable. The green skin of Miss Martian would only be needed for missions.

And food... hadn't Robin mentioned that speedsters had were avid food lovers? And something Megan had once said... the way to an Earth man's heart was through his stomach, right?

Her cooking still wasn't that good... she'd really been trying, but she was still trying to get used to human taste buds, let alone the comparatively primitive level of human cooking utensils. But Aqualad had _said_ that she'd been getting better. Perhaps she could cook something for Kid Flash?

It was fine, really. After all, some of Megan's best friends started out as enemies. All she'd needed was the determination to change that and a few wacky hijinks to change that. Given time, M'gann could make Kid Flash into a friend.

* * *

As the head trainer/den mother assigned to the still as of yet unnamed team of younger heroes, Dinah Lance, better known to many as 'Black Canary' went into the job with the belief that her most trying duty would be acting as the counselor to a group of hormonal teenagers with superpowers and the attitude that went with it.

Not to all of them, of course... after all, could you really ask for a teenager more mature and levelheaded than Kaldur'ahm? Dinah had no idea what kind of lesson plans Atlantis followed but she simply _had _to get Arthur to collaborate with the surface world's various education departments. Aside from a lack of faith in his own capacity to actually lead, the boy was _perfect_.

And Robin, despite his behavior suggesting a good deal of egotism and God only _knows _how much trauma that all logic and reason said he really should have been experiencing... he simply wasn't. He was a happy and well-adjusted thirteen year old who just so happened to train obsessively, hack government databases for fun and beat the crap out of grown men in his spare time.

But the other three... 'works in progress' would be the polite term.

Superboy promised to be a problem and a half. His certainty of his own strength had been amusing, though he'd caught on pretty quickly that what he knew of combat could be _vastly _improved by simply _listening_ to her. But despite that surprising turnaround (Dinah honestly had no clue _what _she'd've done if that legendary Kryptonian bullheadedness had come into play) he _clearly _had daddy issues coming out of his ears, and despite Kaldur acting as something of a confident, little short of Clark giving the kid a hug would really resolve that.

After all these years with Ollie and Roy let it not be said that she did not know Daddy Issues. She just wished she knew of an easier way to resolve them.

M'gann... Dinah honestly didn't know how to classify the Martian girl. Mostly because she simply didn't know enough of Martian culture and psychology to really make an appropriate diagnosis. Still, this... _obsession_ she possessed in regards to human culture. Dinah could understand throwing yourself into a new way of living, but the way in which she seemed to actively avoid speaking of her life back on Mars... there was something there. Something that J'onn was so far remaining silent about, but something nonetheless.

And then there was Wally... well, it wasn't exactly a secret that he hadn't reacted well to moving to Japan. And Dinah could understand that. An international move, particularly to a country that spoke an unfamiliar language, was fraught with psychological perils and pitfalls. But Wally had been managing so well... right up until the team had been formed.

Barry had come to her, concerned. Dedicating weekends to the team and the rest of his time to his schoolwork, Wally had been missing their patrols. From what Dinah could tell, he hadn't set foot in Central for at least three weeks now. And Barry did _not _like it.

And she'd thought _Ollie _was overprotective.

Still, with everything that was going on... Wally was pulling away from his family and friends and, according to Kaldur, had seemed, not quite _hostile, _but resentful perhaps, of Miss Martian's place on the team.

All things considered, there was _plenty _for her to investigate. And if only half of what she'd heard was true, she _needed _to talk to him.

Still, Dinah knew enough of teenage boys to know that simply telling him he'd be undergoing a psychological evaluation would only serve to send him running in the other direction. So she decided to be sneaky about it.

She approached him in much the same way she approached Roy. By demanding a spar... under the guise of training of course.

After all, training of the team _was _under her jurisdiction. And though she'd had the chance to gauge Aqualad, Robin and Superboy's skill levels, with even Miss Martian consenting to a session or two, Kid Flash _did _need to be tested.

And really, if she had to point out the exact moment when she began suspecting that something was off about him, then that would be it.

In all honesty though, it was a pretty big sign. All other things aside, for the first time since puberty struck, he didn't look at her chest once.

* * *

Wally was positively _thrumming _with energy when he entered the Cave and saw Black Canary waiting for him. After the week he'd had, he was _aching _for a fight, and with Black Canary as the team's leading trainer, this was just what he needed to prove himself.

All he had to do was stay focussed.

"Wally," she nodded to him in greeting.

"B.C.," Kid Flash smiled happily. What with her almost sorta dating one of his best friends' dad, who was also sort of his uncle, referring to Black Canary by her civilian name had always seemed way too familiar to him, whilst calling her by her codename was too formal. Hence, Wally had designated her 'B.C.' at some point or another and, since she'd never said anything against it, the name had stuck.

"So," he grinned cockily. "Do I just attack you, or did you wanna set some safe words first...?"

Dinah smirked, "I think we'll be fine. Just step into the ring and we can begin."

Wally strode forward confidently, eyeing the holographic ring displayed on the ground curiously as he entered it.

"Now," Black Canary shifted to the balls of her feet, ready to move at a moment's notice. "Begin."

And so Wally did, zipping forward and rearing his right arm back to deliver a punch, only for Dinah to accurately predict its path, ducking smoothly out of its way as she locked onto the extended limb, using his momentum to flip him and sending him to the ground to land _hard _on his back.

The word 'FAILURE' lit up in bright red beneath him.

"Nice try," she chuckled as he groaned softly.

Wally shook his head clear, trying to regain his bearings as he pushed himself back to his feet. Cursing himself internally because _of course _Black Canary would see a punch like that coming from a mile away.

About to charge again, Wally was startled when Black Canary darted towards him.

* * *

In an open fight, speedsters were always tricky opponents. Dinah knew this. Whilst many others who lacked the ability to fight at range would generally come in close, where Black Canary's hand-to-hand expertise could be put to good use, speedsters did so _far _too quickly for any real exchange of blows to be had.

Traditionally they fought in much the same way as teleporters, darting in and out of range to attack from a variety of directions before retreating to the safety that distance provided them.

When pressed, however, they tended to get locked down, lacking the time to focus on the thought to actually retreat.

Still, that wasn't to say that they didn't tend to put up a fight.

Well, speedsters in general didn't. But Barry and Jay had quite a bit of maturity over Wally that allowed them to keep their heads when someone like Black Canary moved into their sphere of personal space.

With Wally... well, in the past at least, when Black Canary got in close, Wally's eyes would dart south of her face and north of everywhere else that he _should _be looking when concerning someone on the offense, absolutely shattering his focus and letting Dinah end the battle fairly quickly.

This time, however... Wally's focus never dropped, his hands darting up to catch her high kick on his forearms before he _blurred _into a twist, crouching down as he swept one leg out to kick her left leg out from under her, sending her crashing to the ground.

Instincts kicked in as she fell and Black Canary twisted enough midair to land in a roll, bringing herself back to her feet in seconds. Her pride perhaps a tad wounded but otherwise unharmed as she eyed Wally with renewed caution.

And it was then that, rather than seeing a smug grin on the unmasked portion of Kid Flash's, she caught sight of a questioning frown instead.

Shrugging it off for now, she darted forward again, intent on locking Wally down before he darted out of range, but this time preparing herself for a counterattack.

And Wally didn't disappoint. Though he lacked the time and space to accelerate into the truly superhuman range those of the Flash Legacy were famed for, his speed was still _phenomenal_. It was only Black Canary's superior skill that allowed her to keep up, recognizing the beginnings of an attack and only just _barely_ responding fast enough to counter the moves as they were made.

By the time it came to an end, Dinah had to admit that she was impressed.

She'd won, of course, eventually determining a pattern in his attacks, using that to predict the course of Wally's latest assault, she caught his arm before he able to retract it and, much like she had during his initial charge, threw him painfully to the ground. But she was most definitely impressed.

* * *

Wally groaned pitifully when he again found himself staring at the roof of the Cave, Black Canary's blonde head entering his field of vision with a victorious smirk on her lips and a hand offered.

He grasped it reflexively at the wrist, allowing her to help him back to his feet.

"Thanks," he muttered, eyes downcast as he rubbed the area where his right shoulder had impacted the ground.

"You were good today, Wally," Dinah acknowledged. "Very focussed. Barry's been doing a good job teaching you."

Still not meeting her gaze, Wally nodded a second quiet 'thanks' before a rustle of motion caught his eye and he looked up, seeing Dinah casually divest herself of her heavy and, after the spar now rather too warm for comfort, leather jacket.

With the pale skin of her arms and shoulders revealed, Wally's eyes were drawn to the point of contrast against the dark black of the remainder of her uniform. For once, rather than noticing her breasts, he saw what surrounded them.

"Why do you wear a corset to fight crime?"

Dinah looked to Wally in stunned surprise, finding his freckles fading under a spreading blush, seemingly as surprised as she that he'd just said what he'd said.

"I mean..." he continued awkwardly, trying to play it off like he _wasn't _currently lighting up like a stop sign. "I keep hearing about how uncomfortable they are... doesn't it get in the way when you're fighting?"

"..." Dinah didn't answer for a moment, surprised at the nature of the query but still considering the question thoughtfully before asking in return. "Do you think Batman's comfortable under all that armor?"

"...probably not?" Wally said awkwardly.

"No," Dinah agreed. "But he wears it because it serves a valuable purpose. It's heavy and hot, but it protects him."

"And a corset protects you... how?" Wally asked.

Dinah shrugged, "It doesn't have to. My jacket's lined with kevlar, after all, but it _does _serve a purpose. You'd be surprised how many men drop their guard at the sight of a woman in a corset."

Wally really didn't have a response to that. He'd had to model one a week back and damn it if those things didn't hurt. He could barely breathe while wearing the stupid thing, let alone even _think _about running or fighting or _any _of the stuff Kid Flash was expected to do.

Wally's respect for the woman with the sonic screech rose several levels that day. He still didn't get why she wore it though. No advantage could possibly worth _that _much.

Now that he thought about it, though, why did Wonder Woman do battle in a swimsuit? And Miss Martian flew in a _skirt_?

Was Hawkwoman the only female in the Justice League who went into battle fully dressed?

While Wally pondered this topic, feeling deeply disturbed as he remembered how he'd always used to _love _Wonder Woman's uniform and dear God why did he suddenly feel so disgusting for that?

Dinah, meanwhile, simply wondered why it was Wally had asked such an interesting question in the first place. She'd been working with Ollie for something close to seven years now and he'd never once thought to question her work attire.

* * *

With their sparring done for the day, Black Canary retired to the Cave's surveillance room to review her and Wally's fight, intent on dissecting his performance so that she could properly evaluate his abilities. Arranging for Wally to return the next day to discuss what she found.

Wally, under Dinah's suggestion, headed towards the Cave's living area to stock up in the kitchen.

And there he found that the Cave was not as deserted as he had assumed.

"Kid Flash!" M'gann greeted him brightly, dressed in pink sweater and a matching skirt (seriously, she _flew _in that?) with an apron that looked, beneath the various fresh spatters and stains, to be white. "It's good to see you again. Robin told me you'd be hungry after your evaluation, so I've been whipping up some cookies for you! I hope you like chocolate chip!"

"Really?" Wally replied, forcing a smile as he tentatively moved towards the counter. "That was... nice. And, uh... where is Rob?"

"Oh, he said he was going to take Kaldur and Superboy down to the beach," M'gann told him absently while she lifted the platter she'd been working on for his perusal. "I think they're trying to teach Superboy how to swim."

_Dick_. Wally knew well and true what Robin was trying to do. To be honest, he was a little insulted that he hadn't tried anything a touch more subtle.

Still, let it never be said of Wallace Rudolph West that he was one to pass up free food. Taking a cookie gingerly from the platter, he hesitantly took a bite.

In all honesty, it wasn't even that bad. The chocolate chips were chocolaty, there was no taste of any unwanted ingredients, save perhaps an excess of sugar and not quite enough butter. Not great, certainly, but not bad.

He finished that lone cookie in two more halfhearted bites while M'gann watched on, a smile on her lips that she didn't seem to realize wasn't helping matters.

"Mmm, thanks," Wally told her, not reaching for a second. "I'm gonna go check on the guys."

M'gann held the smile for a few moments after Kid Flash blurred out of her kitchen, leaving her cookies uneaten. Looking down with a frown, she brought one curiously to her own lips, biting off a small piece.

Eyebrows furrowing at the taste, she quickly swallowed, frowning as she muttered to herself, "I _knew _I should have added more vanilla extract."

* * *

The beach was beautiful... clear blue waters lapping at white sand, all under those glorious golden rays of sunlight shining down from above.

But it sure wasn't the kind of place you wanted to be wearing a skin-tight suit designed to handle high velocity impact, something Wally realized approximately 2.03 seconds after stepping out of the Cave.

He could already feel himself sweating... and he hadn't thought to bring a swimsuit.

Pulling his goggles down over his eyes to protect himself from the harsh glare of the sun, Wally looked out over the beach, finding Dick stretched out under an umbrella, his mask abandoned in favor of a pair of sunglasses that far better suited his surroundings.

"Hey, Rob," Wally greeted loudly as he approached, knowing better than most that if Dick truly was relaxing, then surprising him with his arrival would be a _bad _idea.

"KF," Dick waved back lazily, moving as little as possible to avoid disrupting his sense of peace.

"Where're the guys?"

"Out there somewhere," Dick waved halfheartedly towards the ocean. "Kaldur's testing Supey's lung capacity and endurance. I'm pretty sure they're halfway to Atlantis by now."

Wally snorted, "Betcha I could get there first."

"Suckers bet," Dick muttered. "There's a Zeta-Beam transmitter less than a hundred meters away. But _you _were thinking of swimming after them, weren't you?"

Wally smirked, "Where's the fun in a race if you can teleport?"

"Just remember that you can't breathe underwater, will ya?"

"Scuba gear," Wally waved it off.

"And the overwhelming pressure of the ocean that would crush you like a grape?" Dick asked sweetly.

"..." Wally thought momentarily for an answer, before settling on, "Smartass."

"Not _just_ my ass, thank you very much," Dick replied easily. "Though it _is _still a lot smarter than yours."

"You wish," Wally rolled his eyes. "My ass could _totally_ kick your ass's ass."

Dick brought a hand to his face, raising his sunglasses just enough that he could reveal his very much raised eyebrow in his friend's direction. "Are we _seriously _having this argument again?"

"Don't be jealous 'cause you know I'll win again," Wally sniffed, causing Dick to roll his eyes in exasperation.

"I can't believe that when people see us together they think _you're _the mature one," Dick shook his head, returning his sunglasses to their rightful place as he asked, "How'd your spar with Canary go? Did you hit on teacher and then get served? Again?"

"Dude, you know that only happened, like, three times."

"Three times you've sparred with her. Three times you've hit on her. Three times she's kicked your ass," Dick listed off idly. "Some might say a pattern emerges."

"Well, that _totally _didn't happen this time, thank you very much," Wally informed his friend with as much dignity as he could muster. "Nah, it went pretty good. I even managed to trip her up once or twice."

Again, Dick's eyebrow rose in disbelief. Not that he discounted Wally's abilities... in a fight there were few he trusted more to have his back. But in a spar, he rarely took things so seriously. Usually it made for a pretty funny show.

"You managed to avoid staring at her breasts long enough to get a hit in?" Dick asked, impressed.

"Hey, I can control myself, you know," Wally told him heatedly. "I'm not some animal ruled by my hormones."

"Despite all past evidence to the contrary?"

Wally didn't really have a response to that beyond blushing, and trying to hide that blush by looking away. He wasn't _that _bad, was he? It's not like he was as bad as his classmates.

Silence settled for a moment, before Wally finally managed to clear the heat from his cheeks and look back, finding that Dick had shifted into a seated position with his eyes cast at the sand between his feet.

"You know, I was thinking," he said, lacking the usual confidence and bravado that traditionally exemplified the Boy Wonder. "What time is it in Japan?"

"Right now?" Wally shrugged. "Around one-thirty in the morning. I am _so _ready to crash."

"You should probably get going then," he sighed dejectedly. "If there's a mission this weekend you'll need to be rested."

Nodding slowly, Wally squirmed uncomfortably at the reminder, "Yeah, I was gonna head home soon anyway."

"What time would it be in Gotham at 5pm?" Dick asked suddenly.

"What, you mean 5 in Japan?" Wally asked, surprised at the question. Dick nodded thoughtfully. "Around four in the morning, I think. Maybe three? Why, you want me to visit you after school this week?"

Shaking his head softly, "Nah. Was thinking of having Alfred call in sick for me and riding the Zeta-Beams."

"Yeah?" Wally smiled at the thought. "Five wouldn't work too good for me anyway, and you'd lose way too much of some _desperately _needed beauty sleep."

"Tell you what," Wally decided with a grin. "I'm going home now to catch up on _my _desperately needed beauty sleep. I'll be back at around 9 or so tonight, we'll fire up the X-box and show Kaldur and Supey how the humans rule all the pixelated realms."

Dick smirked, "I wouldn't count my chickens yet, Walls. I've been teaching Supey the basics and before he starts breaking controllers he is _good_. Natural talent if I ever saw it."

"Then we've got a deal?" Wally smiled, holding out a waiting fist.

Bumping it with his own, Dick grinned, "Deal. Now get out of my sight, I don't care what you and Canary were doing, you _so _need a shower."


End file.
